Staging Fashion: The Perspectives of Sri Lankan Fashion Designers, and Brands on Fashion Showcasing with the Impact of Covid-19 Pandemic

Abstract

The COVID-19 pandemic led to widespread concern about public gatherings, resulting in the cancellation of many events worldwide. In the world of fashion, brands were unable to display their collections for consumers through traditional runway shows. Sri Lanka’s fashion sector has also been affected by the pandemic, and fashion brands in the country have been exploring alternate means of reaching their potential consumers. The purpose of this study is to explore how fashion brands and designers have utilized their creativity and available technology to overcome this challenge. The study has taken a qualitative approach in investigating this phenomenon through questionnaire surveys and observational studies conducted among responsible and impactful fashion brands and designers, selected through purposive sampling in Sri Lanka. Through a comparative (cross-analysis) and content analysis, the study investigated how global and Sri Lankan fashion brands adapt to the new normal of staging fashion shows with the impact of COVID-19. The findings revealed that a new means of fashion showcasing known as ‘Phygital’ has emerged globally during the pandemic period, which is a hybridization of physical and digital fashion shows. Many Sri Lankan designers, and brands have considered incorporating this approach into their fashion displays. Additionally, the study identified six key technological alternatives for traditional runway shows including, social media showcasing and content creation, creative photography, cinematic videos, live streaming, virtual fashion shows, 3D rendering (CAD) which emerged globally, and models-only runaway shows, as safe means of fashion showcasing during the pandemic. The findings further suggest that experimental fashion showcasing techniques, with their hybrid elements, can be adapted by Sri Lankan fashion designers, entrepreneurs, brands, graduates, and show producers to shape future fashion showcasing with novelty, in addition to physical fashion shows.