THE FASHIONABLE NEW WORLD ORDER: THE FALL OF THE UK HIGH STREET

Life as we know it will never be the same. There was life before COVID19, and life after COVID19.

A radical change has taken place, and you'd have to be living on another planet not to know it.

I was listening to BBC radio 4 the other day and the presenter asked a group of children what the pandemic is called. One child spoke up confidently and said: "COVID19". This was the same answer I gave, too, which happened to be completely wrong. The pandemic known to most of the world as COVID19 is called SARS-COV-2.

The first SARS Coronavirus made its first appearance in 2002, before disappearing 2003. This pandemic took the lives of 770 people worldwide, and like SARS-COV-2, the outbreak started in China. Conspiracy theories have swept the world faster than the pandemic; a worldwide experimental vaccination program is taking place; and racism has raised its ugly head.

Socially the UK has been split into two camps: those who've had the vaccine, and those who haven't.

I've witnessed, more often than not, people who've had the vaccine ask other people if they've had theirs, The ones who said no were openly blamed for the prolonged restrictions and for not helping. In fact, there was talk in the UK about people who had the vaccine wearing a badge to identity themselves. An idea that came from the first health care worker from the USA to receive the vaccine who wore a sticker. The British people were strongly apposed to this since it was reminiscent of the Jewish people having to identity themselves as being Jewish.

What has been hit the hardest economically is the UK High Street, particularity the fashion sector.

I was browsing through an old back issue of LOOK magazine, when it struck me where has the UK High Street gone?

Whitney Port made famous on The Hills and The City gave an interview to LOOK magazine stating that "the UK's High Street is the best in the world".

She also said, "In the States, we don't have anything like it- we just don't have the same choice of affordable fashion".

Walking around my shopping Mall there's rows of empty spaces where TOPSHOP, MONSOON, ACCESSORISE, and independent fashion retailers used to be. Yet, despite the pandemic changing people's shopping habits, people swamped the High Street- in particular PRIMARK- to get there much needed fashion essentials, when a certain amount of restrictions were lifted in the UK. Because the fashion industry has no fixed sizing people have complained about online shopping and having to send things constantly back. Nothing can beat the experience of buying a fashion item in a shop and taking it home.

Also, since when is fashion deemed non-essential?

On my local radio station, an elderly man phoned in during the first lockdown (2020) saying he had no shoes. A good Samaritan who owned a shoe company contacted the radio station asking for his details and sent him a pair of shoes FREE. Let's not forget the children who need their feet measured for shoes and grow out of their clothes rapidly.

The Conservative government has spoken of the lessons it has learned through the pandemic as if it's some kind of dress rehearsal for the next one. Already M&S and other stores have written open letters to the Government about the impact the pandemic is having.

But the question on everyone's lips in the fashion industry is where do we go now?

I've heard from forecasters that due to the pandemic a lot of businesses will be playing it safe in future and doing short orders; which means less choice for the consumer and availability.

Also, the 2020s is going to be the age of AI. For High Street retailers to move forward and survive, they will have to embrace the new technology.

Jobs will be lost, but new ones will be created.

The future is in our hands!!!

Taken from my blog:

#covid19 #retail #fashion #pandemic