covid19 – LCV Student Fashion Blog

Jaiden Shoushounova – LaSalle College Vancouver

Fashion under Covid-19: The measures brands can take — Image Source – http://www.heuritech.com

We are all aware of the pandemic going around known as COVID-19. It has impacted everyone, and no one knows how long it will last. Many people have lost their jobs,schools have gone online, and businesses have been affected. That brings me to this weeks topic, how will COVID-19 change the fashion industry? This topic is being discussed in all fashion media. Today I am here to share my opinion on it and what I think will happen to our industry as the virus continues.

One of the primary uses for fashion is protection, protection from the elements and in this case, it will be crucial in protecting people from COVID-19. Companies have stopped production on many products that were to be released in the following months. The Spring/Summer 2021 collections have been either cancelled or postponed and trends are going to change drastically. As with every pandemic, change will happen.

It feels as though the world has come to a stop. Many businesses, including the fashion industry, are doing their part to help out during this time of panic. Multiple companies and brands are producing protective clothing to help people feel safe during this pandemic. They are donating clothing and masks to hospitals and sewing reusable masks to help people stay protected; they are coming out with face masks, gloves, and even coats that will cover the face to prevent the virus from spreading. With so many people working from home and stores closing down, making sales will not be easy. Larger brands are even encouraging their consumers to shop locally to help out smaller brands that could go bankrupt, which will decrease sales on bigger brands and hopefully, help local brands expand.

People do not need to buy the latest fashion trends; they will remain home in lounge-wear due to them not leaving the house. Brands will produce more leisurewear now that people are no longer buying “going out” clothing. This will help benefit the environment as they will be buying essentials and cut down on fast fashion. This could possibly lead to fast fashion brands shutting down and people sticking to long-lasting, sustainable pieces. Within the next 6-12 months, brands will be focusing more on sustainable clothing!

Consumers will focus more on buying lounge-wear and even workout clothing as people are turning to yoga and home workouts to remain busy. Concentrating on mindful mediation and yoga can help relieve stress and anxiety. The colours will most likely be in softer neutral tones to help settle the mind. Unfortunately, in some cases, smaller brands may have to shut down entirely if they do not make enough money to run their online businesses. People will be trying to support local shops, and companies may have settled into their “new normal lifestyle” by 2021. The future is a mystery; fashion, and other industries, will be doing their best to keep sales up while helping people feel more at ease and comfortable during the hard times. They are doing the best they can do.

That’s my opinion on what will happen. We have no proof of knowing how this will impact the industry. I have been keeping up with the news worldwide as well as fashion-oriented news sources to understand and learn what people are doing and how fashion designers are taking action. Only time will tell, and all we can do is stay home and wait for things to clear up while supporting local companies.

Proofreading and editing by Amber Rose Aiken

Attending Fashion School Online Plus Tips For At Home Studying!

Jaiden Shoushounova LaSalle College Vancouver

Due to the recent events that have occurred, schools and workplaces have moved online. You might be wondering, how does one do fashion design online? Luckily fashion design is not limited to just using a sewing machine like most people may assume. There are many aspects to fashion design that do not involve construction and that is what we are focusing on online.

Before the pandemic began, some students were scheduled to have sewing classes. However, that would not be easy for instructors to teach from home, especially when students are required to do most of their sewing on the school’s industrial machines under teacher supervision. Fashion design offers many research opportunities including history, theories, and business aspects that are essential for any designer to learn. So construction classes were swapped for research and theory based ones.

Now you might be asking, “how do you attend these online classes?” My answer to that simple, We use the school programs ilasallecampus and Omnivox Lea as well a supplement with Adobe Connect and Microsoft Teams.

Now it is time for some advice for your at-home studying needs. I was homeschooled my entire life, so I have a couple of study tips up my sleeves. These tips may be very basic, but it is generally the little things that make a difference.

Do not wear pajamas: Pajamas are associated with comfort and sleep. You will likely feel less motivated and focused on your work if you wear them. I encourage you to put on some “normal clothing” to help keep you awake.
Sit at a table, not your bed: This is for the same reason as the pajamas, your mind associates your bed with sleep. It will be harder to maintain focus if you’re in a comfortable location like your bed, so sit upright at a table.
Turn off your phone/social media: Get rid of those distractions. It’s much easier to focus in online classes without your phone. Turn it off, leave it in a different room, and even turn off social media access on your computer. You can block websites that aren’t school-related by setting time limits in your internet settings. Use google for detailed instructions.
Make a schedule and stick to it: This is so basic yet so useful. Don’t make a long and complicated schedule as it can be discouraging. But a simple study schedule broken into three or four chunks of the day can be useful. You know what needs to be done, a schedule can help you stay on task and feel more productive.
Stretch, Move, Breath: You need to take breaks, and I don’t mean scrolling through Instagram for 15 minutes. You need to get up and move around. Do some light stretching and focus on breathing. Mindfulness is an excellent life skill. It is super useful for studying as it helps relieve your mind and body, keeping you focused on the task at hand.

That concludes this weeks article. I hope you learned something new and will take my advice for being productive while studying at home. Remember to relax and just enjoy what you are learning no matter what the format you’re being taught in.

Proof reading and editing by Amber Rose Akien