2020 was a year that changed fashion for years to come! As life shifted significantly in so many ways, our sartorial and shopping habits also became an interesting reflection of an age of staying indoors. But dressing down didn’t have to be boring or dull. Fashion and style didn’t have to take a back seat just because we had nowhere to go, so we found a way to bring fashion into the comfort of our own homes.
This phenomenon is behind the explosion of loungewear, stylish outfits and coordinated outfits that elevated the usual in-home wear. Dressing up during down time became a really big deal. This wasn’t the only fashion trend though – lingerie sales also rose, and athleisure continued to dominate. Even though we were stuck indoors, we still managed to have fun with our clothes.
New Services for the Quarantine Consumer
When it became hard for us to leave the house for the goods and services we need, new services emerged to meet the new needs of consumers who wanted to spend from home. Some of these services were in the mental health space, providing women with a space to deal with the stresses and anxieties of this time, and even online workout platforms and services surged.
What happened when we weren’t able to go to our favorite stores to try on and buy clothes? Online shopping skyrocketed, and became a quarantine pastime. Buying clothes virtually is nothing new, but in the age of the pandemic it became the only option, not an addition to the in-store shopping experience.
With online shopping becoming our only lifeline to the world of fashion, the experience was elevated, customized and it became more bespoke. This is where fashion subscription boxes and online styling platforms started to thrive. These platforms allow for not just shopping, but for an actual experience of having a stylist helping you find the things you like, selected from your mobile device! Brands like Fabletics, who already had a subscription service expanded their reach and product offerings. We also saw this service take off with food, beauty and publishing.
There’s even kids clothing subscription boxes if you also want to keep your children’s wardrobes stacked with fun and affordable fashion. kidpik is an awesome fashion subscription box for kids offering clothing and shoes in sizes 2T all the way up to 16. They deliver personalized outfits to your home, making it easier to buy new clothes. Each box comes with 7 items that create a minimum of 3 complete mix and match outfits, styled specifically for your kid’s style. This is a commitment-free service that simplifies shopping in this crazy time. You can select the frequency of your deliveries between 4, 6 and 12 weeks, and you have 7 days to decide what to keep.
Services like this are revolutionizing shopping and giving consumers a new way to experience the joy of fashion. What’s great is that you can order clothes, have them delivered, try them on in the comfort of your home, keep and buy what you like and send back the rest. It’s fast, efficient, convenient and socially distanced. These platforms are changing the game because they serve so many different types of consumers, who have a wide range of needs, interests and habits.
How do these kinds of services benefit the consumer and make their lives easier during this time? Here are the benefits of fashion subscription boxes and online stylists, and what they mean for the future of fashion.
Buy More Intentionally
Often we buy things one at a time, and find ourselves with a collection of things that don’t quite fit together or create one unified sense of identity and style. Subscription boxes and styling services give us the opportunity to buy outfits in groups, often complete with accessories with shoes, giving us a complete look we can confidently wear.
We can use these services to refresh our wardrobe and fill it with pieces that we really like and reflect who we are and how we want to express our style. Styling solutions and subscription boxes allow us to buy clothing more intentionally. We put a lot more time and effort into what we’re buying before adding it to our cart and because there’s a try on and return option, we reduce the risk of buyers remorse.
Discover New Designers
Supporting up and coming designers and fashion retailers is one the best things about a subscription box. You get to see what’s out there beyond the normal brands you wear and places that you shop. With so many fashion subscription boxes making partnerships with young talented fashion creators, you get the best fashions at your fingertips. You get to support talent that you wouldn’t be able to come across in other ways. On top of that, you get to support small businesses. The pandemic has been tough and overwhelming for small business owners, and if we can do our part to purchase their goods, we can keep them going and keep them creating.
Experience Personalized Online Shopping
Depending on which subscription box you choose, you get access to your very own personal stylist through these services. It’s such a huge perk getting to consult with a stylist who can steer you in the right direction, and address the goals you have for your wardrobe and your style. If you’re in the process of going through a fashion transition, having the advice and recommendations of an expert, and someone you can actually chat with can make the selection process less daunting. This elevates your online shopping experience into something that feels more special and personalized, which makes it well worth the subscription. At the cost of these services, having your own stylist for a few hours is an amazing perk that will be worthwhile.
It’s Virtual!
The greatest thing about fashion subscription boxes is perhaps the most relevant to the time we’re living in – it’s completely virtual. You can shop from the comfort of your own home, on your phone, tablet or computer on the couch in your loungewear while you sip on your favorite drink. It keeps you away from crowded shops and malls, keeps you socially distanced, and brings the entire shopping experience to you. Many people think shopping online is usually a lesser experience but it doesn’t have to be. It can truly feel like luxury without getting out of the house.
What Online Styling Means for The Future of Fashion and Retail
Fashion subscription boxes make the process of elevating your style and adding to your wardrobe more convenient. The question is, what does this trend mean for the future of fashion? What can we learn about who we are as consumers from this and where we are going?
It tells us that online shopping doesn’t just have to be an exchange of money and clothes, it can truly be made a branded experience that rivals being in the shop in-person. By finding creative ways to bring a shopping experience into the home, consumers can still get to feel pampered and taken care of. Beauty spas have found a way to bring their experience into the home of clients and so many services have followed suit. Fashion can be the same, it can provide the type of pick-me-up energy that people need during downtime.
It tells us that being at home doesn’t have to cut us off from the services and amenities we value. The brands that are learning to anticipate the consumers needs in this new space are going to thrive and win customers and loyal fans. We also know that people love convenience in the world we’re currently in, and what’s more convenient than having outfits that match your style delivered to you in regular intervals?
What’s also great about these kinds of services is that they are often included with other products, like accessories, jewelry and even beauty products. This packaging of products opens up opportunities for new partnerships and collaborations between different retailers and brands. These are new ways to express creativity, and bring more options and versatility to consumers.
Online subscription boxes are a new way we can experience fashion and style. It’s not just beyond shopping in-person, it’s even beyond the online shopping that we knew pre-pandemic. There’s a huge chance that these kinds of businesses are here to stay because they match so well with what today’s consumer wants and needs. We can expect these kinds of shopping experiences to continue to grow, with bigger name brands and retailers getting involved.
This also creates the massive opportunity for independent personal stylists to start creating their own bespoke virtual services that bring the personalization of having a personal shopper, with a styling experience and the clothes that you want. This won’t just be an experience afforded to celebrities – a virtual stylist can be at the fingertips of just about any consumer curious about setting the direction of their fashion and style choices with some help. It’s truly a whole new world. It’s no longer just online shopping, we’ve entered the world of online fashion and we’re set to see it take over the world!