Since the proliferation of the COVID-19 virus, the fashion industry has had to cope with a new normal. Some brands are making the transition without a tremendous amount of huff and puff, other fashion brands are not making the grade. Whether online shopping works for a fashion brand or not, one thing is certain, this industry-wide shift was not only unexpected, but is causing undue havoc.
In just the past several weeks, several popular brands and megastore chains have filed for bankruptcy—John Varvatos, JC Penny, Neiman Marcus, J. Crew, Aldo, True Religion, and others. And there are many brands that are closing to filing for Chapter 11.
A significant segment of New Jersey-based fashion designer Marco Hall’s business was his prom dress and bridal party collections. Since most proms on the East Coast have been cancelled, Hall has seen a serious reduction in orders and requests.
Marco Hall spoke with Fashion Reverie about how he is adjusting to a major reduction in business and the fashion industry’s new normal.
FR: What inspired you to become a fashion designer?
Marco Hall: I really wanted to stand out with what I was wearing so I started making clothes for myself and later from some female friends. And that is how it all started.
FR: What is your design aesthetic?
Marco Hall: I describe my design aesthetic as bohemian disco. I love disco, I love the 70s. My garments are easy to wear, but there is still some structure.
FR: Who is your consumer; what is your market?
Marco Hall: Since my boutique has been established, I would say that my customer is the women who are very confident and wants to be noticed. She knows how she wants to dress and knows how she wants to feel.
My male customers, like my female consumers, are very self-assured and knows how he wants to look and feel. His is very much an individual.
FR: What inspires you as a designer?
Marco Hall: I get inspired by lots of things. Sometimes it is the music; sometimes, I am inspired by my friends. My friends have their own identity and that individuality inspires me. I am inspired by how people style their looks; how they mix and match.
FR: Do you follow trends or are collections more organic?
Marco Hall: I let the fabric dictate my designs. The textures and patterns have always given me voice and it has been that way with me for a very long time.
FR: Now, we know that you make a lot of prom dresses. How has this COVID-19 pandemic affected your business?
Marco Hall: The COVID-19 pandemic has brought the prom dress segment of my business to a screeching halt. Most of my client’s proms have been officially cancelled. Now I am looking for new ways to expand my business and supplement the lost income from prom dresses. There is no light at the end of tunnel for the prom dress segment of my business, so I am coming up with innovative initiatives to salvage my business.
FR: Some of your prom dress customers left deposits on their prom dresses. Are some of them asking for deposits back?
Marco Hall: A few have called and asked for deposits back. However, deposits are non-refundable. I have awarded those customers credit for what they order in the future.
FR: Are there going to be any virtual proms that your customers might attend?
Marco Hall: Some are still hopeful. The virtual prom situation depends entirely on the local school boards. The mayor of Newark is trying to figure out some way he can give high school students some type of prom/graduation. But whether that is virtual of some type of limited in-person event, we don’t know yet.
FR: You have also had some issues with bridal ceremonies and parties. Could you elaborate on how COVID-19 has affected that segment of business?
Marco Hall: The last week of March was to be a wedding that I was making garments for the bridal party. Because of the COVID-19 pandemic, that wedding was cancelled. All the garments for that wedding event were already made. So, now those garments are sitting in my boutique and I have no word on when the wedding will be rescheduled. Also, I was making a wedding gown for a wedding in April and that wedding has been cancelled. However, the bride did pick up her gown.
FR: Do you think your business will recover?
Marco Hall: At this point I have been testing out some online ideas and projects. I have been trying to elevate my e-commerce presence. With this pandemic and retail brick-and-mortar stores, for the most part not operational, it appears that shopping online is the way to go.
FR: So how is that going?
Marco Hall: I am attempting to rebrand to myself with my online presence. However, right now it is too early to tell if that will be successful.
For a while, I have put in place a project called “Fashion Fridays.” Where I create a dress and sell it directly online. So, that has been successful and has inspired me to push my online presence even more.
FR: Do you make full fashion collections?
Marco Hall: I do create full collections and I also make made-to-order garments. All of that depends on timing and my personal time. Before COVID-19, my business was doing very well, and I was crunched to fit everything in. I love doing full collections because full collections demonstrate my creative vision and it allows me to get a vision of where my design aesthetic has evolved.
FR: Which fashion weeks have you presented your collections?
Marco Hall: I have presented at a fashion week in six years. It was around that time that I opened by boutique in Newark, and this endeavor has taken up a lot of my time. With the pandemic, my business has slowed down, giving me more time to really plan a solid collection and organize putting a great fashion show together. And, you know, it’s time!!
Images courtesy of Marco Hall
FR: How is the fashion industry coping with this downturn?
Marco Hall: Everyone in the fashion industry is trying to figure how to rebrand and reposition their company. Not every fashion consumer is an online consumer. Most consumers, particularly when it comes to clothes, like to try on the garments and touch and feel the fabric.
This downtime is a real adjustment for the fashion industry. I was watching an online fashion panel and Marc Jacobs was explaining that the fabric for his fall 2020 collection mostly comes from textile factories in Italy. However, with businesses being shut down in Italy, he is concerned about getting his garments manufactured in time for the fall season, which hits the stores in late July. He may not be able to produce his line for the fall because of the COVID-19 pandemic.
FR: Are you having challenges accessing the fabrics that you need for your garments?
Marco Hall: Definitely. Some of the fabric stores are open, but there is a lack of the fabrics I like to use. I love to touch and feel the fabric, but that is not as possible as it used to be. Luckily, I always buy extra fabric, so right now I do have some fabrics to custom make things for some clients.
FR: What’s next for you?
Marco Hall: I am in the process of rebranding my company and trying to figure out how to make this new normal work. This is our new normal and everything has to change.
—William S. Gooch
Speak Your Mind