The Four Seasons

3,192 words

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The term ‘season’ is defined as the division of time based on weather conditions that occur inexorably each year. Fashion seasons follow the same rules, a heavily segmented cycle of spring/summer and autumn/winter collections with which products are sold. This traditional life cycle has become integral to culture as it offers structure to a system renowned for obsolescence, yet fulfils consumer demand for newness and allows designers to show their diverse skill while building a reputable and profitable business. The once timely anticipatory rush for new seasonal clothing is mostly lost on today’s consumer.

Lifestyles are becoming more pressurised, personal and complex, greater diversity in a shorter time frame. This has been fuelled by a number of factors resulting in this somewhat rapacious attitude; social networking sites are creating a more fashion-literate client base, mass globalisation, Zara (retailer) who is able to respond immediately to market change through quick response manufacturing and designers like the late Alexander McQueen creating ‘art-wear’ based on themes not trends. This unravelling of the fashion season is nothing new, like many recognisable fashion eras such as the flapper girls or the hippie movement, fashionable trends grew out of cultural instability and social validity. Today’s consumer is as fickle as the fashion it follows and to ensure brand loyalty, designers are providing consumers greater choice more frequently with pre-collections, most notably pre-fall and resort. While a divisive strategy, the once important and purposeful term ‘fashion season’ is inevitably leading to a more fragmented system.

Is it still viable to keep pursuing the doctrine of seasonal fashion for today’s clientele?

Background

‘Seasonal terms are still used because they are firmly ingrained in our culture’ (Jackson, 2009). Tradition, a long-standing belief system, in fashion is crucial, emitting a sense of collective identity and cementing continuity in an era of change. ‘Fashion introduces order in a potentially anarchic and moving present’ (Blumer, 1968). Although Blumer refers to fashion, the seasonal division that naturally occurs arguably allows such fashion to have true order. Barnard (2014) describes, ‘the point of seasons is that they pass and are replaced by another’. Thus, one could argue, that without the quarterly division of time, the fickle nature of fashion has no grounding and therefore less meaning in culture. Fashion thrives on newness; the summer, spring, fall, winter seasons provide the chronological conventions people desire and enable the subversive fundamental of fashion.

The biannual fashion turnover also fulfils the contradictory human need to be socially accepted while preserving a unique sense of style. ‘To look like nobody else is a sufficiently mortifying reflection; to be in danger of being mistaken for one of the rabble is worse’ (Quentin Bell, On Human Finery cited in Robinson, 1961). Bell’s observation highlights the fine line between dressing like nobody else and being lost in sameness. While Bell alludes to this mimetic behaviour, Lynch highlights that this condition allows a ‘calming sense of self-endorsement’ (Lynch, 2007). This has never been more relevant than in fashion; playing on the tendency for union and isolation to full effect. Those who follow the seasonal order can signal their relationship to a certain group while those maintaining individuality are stigmatised, further strengthening the bond between consumer and seasonal fashion.

While a highly creative industry, one must not forget that fashion is a business that exploits customers’ expectation for change while simultaneously gaining a healthy profit and reputation for its designers and retailers - the perfect marketing strategy. ‘The driver was seasonal change and the expectation among consumers that a change in the season required new clothes with the latest colours, silhouettes and decorative details’ (Brannon, 2003). This drive has placed a premium on being ‘up-to-date’ and as a result when we engage with seasonal fashion, as Blumer (1986) states, we move towards ‘a dim, uncertain, but exploitable immediate future'. Though a seemingly ignorant way of living, it works as a system because remaining so elevates pressure, time, worry and brings the unexpected joy of surprise. But most importantly, it forces people to live in the moment, paramount in fashion. ‘Fashion serves as a means of demonstrating command over current’ (Robinson, 1961). Maintaining its status as the source for keeping up-to-date and modern, further cementing seasonal fashion ranges as significant for today’s fashion customer.

History

In a historical context, the making and eventual breaking of seasonal dress, can be observed during seventeenth and eighteenth century France. The rich “amassed clothes and indulged their tastes for the finery [...] replacing wardrobes as and when fashion decreed” (Roche, 1989). This indulgence gained momentum with fashion journalism, in particular Le Mercure Galant. Founded in 1672, the biannual magazine published articles and etchings of developments in aristocratic life; court proceedings, major social events and most notably fashion reviews, ‘advising elite audiences what they needed to purchase in order to be à la mode’ (Bohanan, 2012, p.14). Publications like Le Mercure Galant marked a turning point in which natural shifted to fashion season, French women avidly read and learnt the emerging fashion trends based on the ruling classes, not the natural weather occurrences. Van de Peer (2014) argues that this ‘publicly displayed the new seasonal rhythm of fashion’ (p.328). The word rhythm not only serves to emphasise the regularity but the mass appropriation of distinct fashion seasons that quickly became an integral part of culture.

The impending revolution following the promotion of lavish modernity can be seen to diminish the importance of being a la mode. Roche (1989) argues, this ‘could easily appear as a further manifestation of the artificial instability of fashion’ (p.473). This cultural instability was accentuated by the underlying fragility of fashion, forcing designers to anticipate trends in order to survive. Fashions altered rapidly and on a recurrent basis during 1789, shifting from clothing representing beauty to mirroring personal cultural and political affiliation. National colours and certain clothing items, such as the iconic ‘bonnet rouge’ (a red cap worn assiduously by the revolutionaries), represented the greater awareness of class inequalities and restless self-expression. As Loshek qualifies, ‘continual, rapid change [...] developed into mass fashion’ (2009, p.137). It is this argument that many believe that seasons need to be a part of our cultural make-up as it brings order, civility and regularity that, as members of the human race we strive for.

Like the French Revolution, rapid developments in technology, globalisation and ‘fast-fashion’ have weakened the purpose of seasonal terms. Globalisation has created a climate where designers are trying to take into account two hemispheres due to the increased demand of a global market. ‘It may be 7ºc in London, but in Mumbai it’s 34ºc and humid’ (Cochrane, 2013). Fury (2014) aptly calls this ‘seasonal affective disorder’; meaning fashion-conscious consumers should accept the notion of buying a bikini in the winter and fur coats in the summer causing, as Jones (2007) suggests, consumers’ distress. Yet, as Wright (2012) elaborates, designers have accepted ‘the smorgasbord of climate conditions in other areas of the world they want to sell their wares in’. While some designers have been documented complaining about these conditions, it provides more income and exposure, highlighting that if the industry itself disregards defined seasons then why should the public?

Coupled with the increased production of air conditioning and heaters, people are becoming more acclimatised to artificial weather, therefore impacting designers in new ways. As Fury (2014) evidences, designers have recently begun to favour ‘sweeping coats, easily shrugged off the shoulder’. Though this is indicative of the impact this has had on designers, it underlines the prevailing consumer demand that is prompting the change fashion season’s need. ‘What had been a stately progression from one new look to the next became instead a continuous flow of new trends, each crowding on the heels of the one before’ (Brannon, 2003). This once purposeful progression once held by fashion seasons seems no longer relevant to today’s consumer who is able to alter the weather conditions around them and ultimately what they wear. Therefore, the once useful relationship between fashion and nature serves little to no purpose in an ever-expanding global population.

Fashion & Media

Social media and the catalyst behind it, the Internet, touches every part of our lives from personal to business. Websites such as Facebook, Twitter, Pinterest and Instagram allow users to share ideas, images and messages around the world, gaining recognition and praise for doing so. ‘Consumers are looking to their peers rather than traditional advertising sources for product information’ (Kim, 2013). This is evidenced with the increasing use of social media in the fashion industry; designer websites with links to their Facebook page, live updates from models sharing backstage catwalk photos on Instagram and Tweets from the front row. While providing an opportunity for designers to collect real-time feedback of their collection, it has created a fashion-literate audience, who, as a result, want fashion all the time.

Burberry’s A/W15 Runway collection, above, addressed this by live-streaming their show and letting customers purchase pieces immediately, a key milestone in ensuring connections with potential customers. ‘To an increasingly show-literate audience of shoppers [...] we have all seen the new range on the runway - even if we can’t buy it yet’ (Cochrane, 2013). In this sense, seasonal fashion is used as a tool for communication and transaction, not an indication of trends, through the Internet due to the increased accessibility of any style anytime. Hines (2006) notes that this ‘availability of products on-line at anytime further erodes the rigidity of seasons’, an argument further supported by Corner (2014), ‘the Internet has made geography and the seasons irrelevant’. The very nature of the Internet (a worldwide resource) allows an infinity of information to be shared instantly and viewed as it is, universally on computers, tablets and smart phones. This means that photos of a new seasonal collection can be shared, commented on and mercilessly disregarded as ‘so last season’ even as the model takes her first step onto the catwalk. This shows that the traditional seasonal trend isn’t enough to satisfy demand resulting in its inconsequentiality. Social networking has enabled designers to truly connect with customers, leading them to create user-led clothing not season-led fashions. Though great for customers, it leaves the industry in need of a new direction.

A celebrity is someone who is in a state of fame, recognised for either their talent and/or wealth or sheer infamy. The interdependency between celebrity and fashion and the media’s obsession has in turn made celebrity gossip central to broadsheets and magazines alike. ‘As celebrity becomes an increasingly common component of media content; it is not surprising that celebrity should become one of the primary locations [...] in the construction of cultural identity’ (Turner, 2004). This mimetic behaviour by consumers, as Lynch (2007) noted previously, is a key human condition allowing the populace to have a personal attachment to someone who is simultaneously familiar and distant. This inauthentic media constructed relationship is exploited by the fashion industry on a daily basis, in order to heighten brand image. ‘Designers can elect to use the ever-expanding cast of celebrities in their advertising campaigns, both in magazines and on screen’ (Gibson, 2012). This is most effectively achieved through celebrity endorsements; design collaborations with models, advertising campaigns and most importantly award seasons.

Award ceremonies such as the Oscars, Grammy Awards or Teen Choice Awards are vital for designers eager for better representation, lending clothes from their latest collection to those that walk the red carpet. The once significant fashion season has shifted to award season; further highlighting that the glamorous lifestyle paraded on the red carpet is critical for designers, possibly more important than their own catwalk shows (Gibson, 2012) and therefore the consumers. Magazines such as Heat further push this consumption by providing information for readers to copy celebrity styles with cheaper alternatives, earning a manufactured celebrity membership through commodity clothing. ‘Fashion magazines have always gone beyond merely describing clothes, to manufacturing dreams’ (Bruzzi, 2013). Today’s consumers want styles that transform them into those they admire, an emotional fulfilment that seasonal fashions are unable to achieve in the ever-interchangeable ‘fashionable’ faces of culture.

In response to the contributing factors mentioned, designers have included pre-collections. Vogue Australia helpfully explains: resort/cruise collections ‘act as a precursor to the traditional spring/summer collections that are shown during the September fashion weeks’ and pre-fall collections are ‘shown before the autumn/winter collections that occur from February to March internationally’ (Wong, 2013). By introducing more seasons the financial incentive and promotional opportunity for design houses is palpable. Foley (2010) identified, pre-collections have ‘the longest time on the selling floor’; increasing profit margins as well as encouraging customer loyalty through the consumption of their images, silhouettes and styles. Though these are clear indications of change, one must look at the system itself, as Badia (2009) suggests, the method of orientating fashion towards two seasons suffered ‘significant limitations, [...] above all it lacked reaction speed’. Pre-collections, while trying to address this limitation, have fuelled consumer demand further and like the original collections, it is unable to cope. However, retailers have adjusted to demand accordingly by applying quick response and just-in-time programs, enabling them to cope with consumer uncertainty (Mattila, 2002), significantly reducing ‘great losses when they [companies] are forced to carry their goods to the next season’ (Li and Courtey, 1999).

Case Study: ZARA

One company that has taken advantage of this real-time or just-in-time technology is Zara, who have developed this system into a reputable business model, focusing its resources on the ever-changing tastes of the consumer.

The Spanish based company, Zara, is part of a group called Inditex whose main principles champion design, innovation, quick response, store layout and flexibility (Zara Press Dosier, 2004 cited in Larke et al. 2006). Unlike many of its competitors, Zara focuses its resources not only on achieving the design principles listed above but more importantly its innovative use of Just-In-Time (JIT) manufacturing - a system that generates stock only when needed. This reduces excessive storage waste while also allowing product improvement and time efficiency. ‘(Zara) can get product to store in weeks whereas traditional clothing retailers measure time in months’ (McKelvey and Munslow, 2008). A rapid weekly turnover of a large array of runway trends at low prices, makes the clothing as disposable as the trend itself. Not only is Zara’s manufacturing akin to ‘fast-fashion’ but also is uniquely built around consumer desire. ‘Zara has built its strategy around consumer trends, embracing the fast-changing tastes of its customers’ (Petro, 2012), a strategy seasonal fashion is incapable of following successfully in the form it is today.

            Interestingly, Zara spends little on advertising, which other retailers rely heavily, yet through skilful marketing they are able to attract customers of different ages, backgrounds and incomes. One way of achieving this is through high-end presentation; expansive pristine stores filled with variety, variation and vast room (see Appendix A, p.11). While a lack of advertising is arguably a mistake in a society driven by communication, it reinforces the brand’s image of high-end affordable exclusiveness and allowing Zara to exist, as Petro (2012) states, ‘on the curve, evaluating trends first, then following’. This shift from seasonal designer-led trends to a ‘fast-fashion’ consumer orientated approach, signals the emergence of a market that are more discerning about what they wear. Zara expands on this niche market through its real-time strategy, as Badia explains, ‘customer trends and preferences, along with their reactions to the products in the stores, are observed and communicated throughout the organisation’ (2009). This flexibility in supply and low inventory has created a consumer who, like the brand, continuously refreshes their clothing range. ‘Because customers know that new items are arriving every few days, and in limited quantities that might disappear quickly if the item is a hit, they are motivated to shop frequently at Zara stores’ (Lutz, 2012), therefore, as Hansen points out, makes ‘every purchase [...] an impulse buy’ (2012).

Case Study: McQUEEN

While Zara is able to react swiftly to the customer, it still follows designers and their catwalk trends. Yet, many designers themselves are going against this strictly defined fashion cycle by creating ‘Artwear’ (fusion of art and fashion) or ‘conceptual clothing’ (communication of ideas) that fulfils their need for artistic expression.

Alexander McQueen has been able to successfully gain critical acclaim for his highly provocative and politicised work, capable of satisfying not only commercial industry demand but personal freedom and a strong emotional engagement with his audience. His unique understanding of raw emotion, masterful technique and his own inner struggles govern work that is both beautiful and powerful. This is clearly reflected in his collections year after year, Highland Rape, fall 1995, is such an example. While the bold title was quickly labelled as misogynist, McQueen assured audiences that it was a reference to his Scottish history and the atrocities the English committed in the 18th Century. Another iconic catwalk show was VOSS, S/S ready-to-wear 2001, dubbed the ‘asylum collection’. This featured bandaged models walking with aimless intent. At the end of the show, an almost obese model was dramatically revealed - inspired by a photograph by Joel-Peter Witkin’s ‘Sanitarium’ 1983. McQueen explains, ‘this was about trying to trap something that wasn’t conventionally beautiful to show that beauty comes from within' (Alexander McQueen: Savage Beauty, 2015). Both these extraordinary performances not only highlight key themes but also unleash a powerful, intense yet refreshing reaction from its audience, the like of which had never seen before. ‘In a few short seasons, McQueen succeeded in building a global fashion empire according to his own vision’ (Knox, 2010). It is this vision expressed by rich and dark storytelling that makes McQueen’s theatrical pieces so unsettling for an industry governed by commercial trends, making the runway trends presented by other designers seem obsolete.

It has taken several decades to unseat the established fashion seasons. Seasonal fashion has served consumers well, dictating what they should wear and when, satisfying the need for familiarity, sense of security and belonging through their clothing. For designers, the bi-annual change can simultaneously provide order in an otherwise archaic industry while allowing designers enough freedom to explore and present their skill to their desired audience. Yet, the abundance of fashion-savvy customers, the by-product of social media, celebrity culture, fast-fashion chains and designer ‘Artwear’, have altered how fashion seasons are governed. Today’s consumer, like the fashion it follows, thrive on a ‘see it, buy it, discard it’ attitude that traditional industry conventions are unable to address. Seasons are being rendered meaningless because customers, with their newfound autonomy, are making their own decisions about what they wear, how and when. In order to maintain their position as the forefront of fashion, they will have to adapt with a new, cogent and persuasive approach to be able to counteract the influence of fast-fashion retailers.