Gucci’s retreat from catwalk shows will put the brakes on fast fashion

Gucci is stepping away from the traditional luxury fashion catwalk calendar and cutting its shows from five to two per year.
Sofie Willmott, Lead Retail Analyst at GlobalData, a leading data and analytics company, offers her view on this news; “The COVID-19 pandemic has given luxury brands a chance to step back and consider the high costs and environmental impact of attendees travelling across the world to watch catwalk shows, with Gucci being the first major brand to opt out, paving the way for others to follow suit and signifying the start of major change. The luxury fashion industry revolves around the twice-yearly major catwalk shows for spring summer and autumn winter collections and the alterations will ripple through the retail market affecting buying cycles, range planning, store stock, marketing campaigns and other related industries including publishing, PR, event planning, travel and so on.
“Changes driven by sustainability concerns are coming from both ends of the fashion market. While some luxury brands are showing willingness to move away from ostentatious fashion shows and seasonal launch cycles, young consumers are increasingly comfortable buying second hand clothing with marketplaces like Depop soaring in popularity. Consequently, retailers operating in all parts of the retail market, that have previously been able to capitalise on consumers’ desire for newness and trend pieces, should be prepared for fast fashion to start slowing down.”