The recession has made us rethink our fashion statements. It’s been well pointed out that the recession has heavily affected the fashion industry. Although recessions come and go, this current recession we’re experiencing is going to have a long-term impression on our whole of idea of fashion. We are living in a very pragmatic period these days. Before these practical times, we delighted in the frivolity of fashion - nothing was excessive or too costly - you only worried about being accused of being too dreary. Now though the catwalks and labels are copping a bad press. And now that everyone’s conscious of globalisation, even dirt cheap fashion brands are getting a bad press for utilising sweatshops to develop their items! So what’s going wrong? Why are people turning against fashion like this?

No chance. Humans need fashion, and forever will. It is burned into our minds to identify trends! As a matter of fact, looking online there is tough rivalry between online fashion retailers (e.g. searching for ladies fashion accessories) - a sign there is still a great need for fashion. It’s the old-school idea that is expiring - being told what’s now cool by the big labels. Fashion has always looked at our lifestyles rather than the other way around, and nowadays many factors are turning us off big labels. For a start, people are a lot more mindful of globalisation, and showing off your fashion labels makes you look selfish and inconsiderate in many peer groups today. Secondly, it’s the economy, stupid! Style has invariably been seen as something of a luxury, not an essential. In an economic downturn, non-essential items get hit the worst. Finally, individuals define themselves much more individually nowadays - groups of friends are a lot more tightly knit, the days of huge TV show ratings are through, and fashion demands that type of herd-like thinking to trade in numbers.

How does the future look for the fashion industry? As ever, they must change to survive - create a greater range of fashion lines to supply to more niches of the market. If you’re a small store offering unique clothing at a cheap cost, the future looks bright for you despite the grim economic months we are experiencing. These days, people are shuffling their styles, purchasing from marketplaces and smaller, inexpensive fashion stores.