We all benefit from the warm fall season by spending time outdoors. It turned out that the weather, although favorable, had a disastrous effect on the clothing industry.
– Voices from various sectors and all companies in the industry are saying very clearly that the weather is not helping. It’s nice to be outside, but it means the customer isn’t shopping. The weakness is clear. Companies are recording declines in terms of quantities and values - says Iona Kossmann, President of DCG, denicler.eu and the Fashion Industry Producers Association.
He adds that the future of many companies may be in question. – Everything really depends on where the company is after eight months, because September was bad for everyone. In the case of Denny Claire, we have 20% increases in August. From year to year, the fact that we have a surplus from the first half of the year gives us faith that everything will be fine at the end of the year, says Iona Kossman. He adds that the coming months will be crucial: October, November and December.
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Real drama
Paweł Pawlak, owner of clothing company Adika, is not afraid to use strong words. – This is killing our industry. I think 70 percent. Companies are in crisis. this is a disaster. Just as farmers talk about harvest and weather disaster, we are also facing disaster right now. He says: This is the first time I have encountered this.
The fall season is very important for this industry. Meanwhile, sales slowed. – We are in the middle of the fall season in terms of production and we should be in the middle of the selling season and moving to the next half of production and sales. while We have clothes produced, but no sales – says Paul Pawlak. It also indicates the remaining costs, which are primarily crew maintenance costs.
He explains that fall collection collections should begin on August 15 and continue throughout September. Meanwhile, the clothes are in store. – It is October, we should have 5-6 groups, but there will be one – this shows the scale of the problems in numbers.
Hope in government
The owner of Adeka points out that the industry needs preferential loans and additional financing systems in the event of events such as the one it is currently facing.
He appeals to the government to save the garment industry. – Up to one million people work in this industry, most of them women in sewing factories. I employ single mothers, women who are the sole breadwinners for their families. If there is no reaction, if no one notices our problem, family clothing businesses will disappear from the map of Poland. He says people will lose their jobs, and Poland will lose its national wealth.
This reminds us that the fashion industry is the jewel in the Polish crown. – In Poland we have excellent facilities, and we are a national treasure. We sew the best clothes, which are appreciated all over the world, emphasizes Paweł Pawlak.
He points out that if the industry does not receive help, the entire economy will lose. He adds that he now meets business owners who are devastated by the current situation and do not know whether they will be able to maintain their businesses or not.
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Obvious slowdown
The largest clothing companies also recorded a slowdown in sales dynamics, such as LPP, which owns brands such as House, Cropp, Sinsay, Mohito and Reserved.
– After the success of August and early September, when fixed and online channels achieved good sales results, with the weather warming up in the following days of September, we began to notice a slowdown in growth dynamics. Previous experience shows that September or October is usually the weakest month in terms of sales in the third quarter, mainly due to weather conditions. A very warm month is behind us, and what’s more, it is the warmest in the history of recorded measurements. Considering that this is the time when the fall collection was launched in showrooms, it was natural for its sales in the current circumstances to be lower than usual in the same period. However, we are counting on demand to move into October, for which we are well prepared in terms of goods, collections and price thresholds – LPP press office told Business Insider Polska.
The company, which operates in 40 markets located in regions with significantly different temperatures and climates, has been adapting its collections to the characteristics of individual markets for years, company representatives add.
– We approach storage stores in countries like the UAE in a completely different way than in Finland where the temperatures are harsh. The truth is that as the seasons we have known for years become increasingly blurred in our part of Europe, our lineup is changing too. Compared to previous years, we are currently ordering more models of so-called light or transitional quilted jackets instead of heavy and thick outerwear. The entry schedule for individual models also changes. Heavier clothing is offered to our customers in the later months of the year than in the previous period – indicates the press office of LPP.
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