Article by: Kimberly Nicol

Photography by: Theodora Wood

Styling by: Claire Ferguson and Theodora Wood

Models: Eve McAuley & Calla Selicious

Fashion. No matter how much you may love it, it has most likely been at the very back of your mind for the last 9 months. ‘Corona Virus’, ‘Lockdown’, ‘Social Distancing’, these are all words that just a year ago would have sounded alien if said aloud, but have now become much too familiar in our every day lives. While we struggled through lockdown your wardrobe may have suffered, if you were like me - who travelled home in March with a travel sized suitcase fit for a 2 week stay at home which turned into a 5 month lockdown overnight - old t shirts and leggings from 5 years ago very much sufficed. Or perhaps it was one of the only things that kept you going, maybe you found a whole new side to your style that didn’t exist pre-covid, with online shopping and Pinterest boards acting as the perfect distraction from all that was going on around you.

Personally, for a while it really was not at the forefront of my mind. Lockdown for me was a fast blur which left little space to think about fashion, but for many it provided a sanctuary, a safe haven. As the initial rougher weeks of lockdown subsided, I watched as so many people escaped from the reality of what was going on around them through their creativity. Their fashion adapted, they innovated, and we saw the passions that the misery of lockdown ignited. I found that even through the dark days I was experiencing, being able to focus on this brought some light. It was an escape route, and it was the same for so many others. Fashion Instagram’s became an addiction, people became more interested in sustainable alternatives, and every day I saw new brands and businesses being launched as people finally had the time spare to set in motion their own dreams.

While this all went on however, what cannot be denied is that the fashion industry as we previously knew it had fell apart. Jobs were lost, brands crumbled into bankruptcy, full season lines wasted away in inventory – it was a huge mess that no one could see the way out of. But slowly, we are seeing the pieces getting put back together.

One of the most telling moments of COVID-19s direct impact on the industry was when we saw the world-renowned fashion weeks go digital. Back in March, editors and buyers from major retailers all around the globe gathered in Milan and Paris for fashion week. At the same time, the first Covid deaths in Europe were announced and Italy at the time had the highest number of corona virus cases in Europe – 152 – a miniscule number when compared to the 1.66 million cases reported in Italy by December. The anxieties of the fast spreading, fatal virus quickly rose, and one by one cancellations began. While Dolce and Gabbanna proceeded with its 121 look show, other designers such as Giorgio Armani immediately uninvited guests on the day, and instead resulted to live streaming its AW20 show.

Fast forward six months and we saw London fashion week hosted in a much less glamorous manner than usual. Hosting only small salon shows, the whole week was a very private affair, as we saw most designers go in favour of digital. Burberry who usually host packed runway shows, instead live streamed online to 42,000 viewers. The adaptability of Burberry and many other designers was highly commended, and there is growing talk that digital shows will be the way forward even as the pandemic settles, due to its increased accessibility. Even within St Andrews, the staple chain of fashion shows that we can usually look forward to in March are having to alter their usual methods. Henry Parle, Co-Director of CATWALK charity fashion show, a subcommittee of the Charities Campaign who work to raise annually over £60,000 for each of their three nominated charities, spoke with me about the added pressure to continue to raise awareness under the current circumstances, and how CATWALK has adapted to the restrictions.“This year we have had to adapt pretty much every aspect of our campaign in order to keep all of the hard working members of our committee and our models safe”. He then spoke of the challenges this entailed,“One of the biggest challenges for myself and my co-director was definitely committee interviews and model castings, doing castings online really made things difficult because we had to take into account the different individual circumstances”. Despite these difficulties, Henry explained to me how the regulations have infact challenged the committee to think more creatively than previous years, resulting in new alterior methods to raise awareness such as their newly launched STAR radio show. It tempts excitement towards how we will see the adaption of all St Andrew’s Fashion Shows to the ever tightening restrictions of the pandemic.

But it wasn’t just fashion week that was brought to a halt, high street brands have suffered amid mass falls in sales through lockdown. People no longer have new clothes as their top priority, and if they do, they’re doing it all online through the sky rocketing fast fashion brands, resulting in bankruptcy in well known and usually well loved brands as they struggle to keep up with the changing dynamics. Topshop and Dorothy Perkins owner Arcadia has very recently announced that they are on the brink of collapse – putting 13,000 jobs at risk, and Debenhams, a brand that established in 1778, surviving through world wars and recessions, could not withstand the double threat of the internet and pandemic shutdowns as they enter liquidation. These are two devastating losses, representative of the domino effects of the pandemic and the resultant changes in consumer shopping preferences. It has quite easily been one of the toughest periods for the whole industry, and the results are devastating. But despite all that COVID-19 destroyed, there is also so much that it created.

A positive that came from lockdown, was the rise in sustainable fashion. Lockdown offered a lot of time for reflection, and it also gave people the push to think about how they can do better. While online shopping did induce the likelihood to fall victim to the attractions of fast fashion, it did the same for much more environmentally friendly alternatives. More sustainable fashion brands grew on platforms like Instagram, and the boredom of lockdown found people clearing out their wardrobes and fuelling the rise in sites such as Depop.

Even more exciting has been the rise throughout the pandemic of so many different fashion trends. We saw loungewear become the staple selling point for all brands as they rushed to stock tracksuits, co-ords and all things tye die in order to fulfil everyone’s new lockdown inspired needs. As well as this, we saw retro fashion trends making their way back as sweater vests, flares, and high tops started making their way back into our wardrobes and Instagram feeds. It begs the question, where did these retro trends come from? Did it run deep and stem from our longing for the days before all of the misery and restrictions? Isn’t it strange that we see old trends come back at a time so strikingly different from when they were first worn?

These are all the very questions that inspired this article. And so when I saw that Theodora Wood and Claire Ferguson, both stylists for Haute magazine were creating an editorial shoot named ‘Nostalgia’ exploring the feelings of sentiment ignited by the pandemic through the combination of 90’s clothing, disposable cameras, and surgical face masks, I immediately got involved. Assisting on the shoot on Guy Fawkes night, fireworks exploding all around us as we stood on St Andrews pier, I discussed with Theodora who had the original idea for the shoot what her inspiration was. “My inspiration for the shoot ‘Nostalgia’ was ultimately the Covid-19 restrictions on socialising. Photos on a disposable camera typically reflect a moment in time within a fun, social event. The over-bearing flash, grainy texture, and blurred faces reflect a type of nostalgia you feel when looking at a parents younger selves through film photography, it is warm and comforting, and I thought it would be interesting to contrast this with the current pandemic”.

The most enticing part for me personally, and what made me most excited to assist on the shoot was the face mask worn by the models in each photo, juxtaposing with the photos which would typically portray young students living in a long-ago time of innocence and freedom. The shoot presents the idea that the photos were taken in the 90’s, yet with the application of the mask, we quickly see the innocence stripped away, as we are reminded of the harsh realities of the restrictions.This was the exact impact Theodora was going for, “The mask is a main feature in this editorial shoot, purposely it is not used as a blended fashion accessory but as a stark contrast to the warming nostalgic tone, it’s sterile and abrupt nature is highlighted visually”

Claire Ferguson, who styled the outfits for the Nostalgia shoot, addressed the return of retro style clothing that has become huge throughout the pandemic, saying “it seems as though boredom during the pandemic has led to a flood of Y2K influencers and the outbreak of “nostalgia” accounts all over social media”. She discussed with me the possible reasons behind this rise, “I think we get excited at the prospect of reliving one of the most iconic style trends of our childhoods and bringing it back in fashion.” It seems clear in the minds of many that the resurgence of old trends isnt a coincidence. Perhaps we longed for the excitement and innocence of those years, and have implemented and expressed it in one of the only ways possible while tightly locked down, through the arts; our creativity and fashion choices paving a way out of the anguish of 2020.

Covid 19 tore so much apart, gone but not forgotten will be the brands who follow a similar path as Topshop and Debenhams, who’s loss I’m certain will hurt the hearts of many. But at the very same time SO much good has came from people having to really grind with their talents to keep the industry alive. While the lights may have gone down on fashion week, a new light has sparked within us to innovate and create new ways to ensure the arts of fashion were still alight through such a bleak and miserable time. With this new explosion of passion and creativity, who’s to know that may come in the next few years, it is the most exciting prospect. The world collapsed in on itself, but we are slowly digging our way back out one step at a time, and we must continue to love and work harder and be grateful for all of the good that has come along with the bad.

COVID-19: Taking the Good and the Bad (and Wearing It)