Are fashion seasons over? Why designers are embracing trans-seasonal clothing

Is the Era of Fashion Seasons Ending? Designers Are Embracing Timeless Styles

Step away from new-season clothing and fall in love with timeless, trans-seasonal pieces, suggests Fiona Ralph.

Autumn’s Arrival and the Push for New Clothes

Autumn is here, bringing with it the urge to stock up on new-season “must-haves.” But how many more clothes do you really need? The issue with covering seasonal trends in a sustainable fashion column is that fashion seasons themselves have become unsustainable. The idea that we need to buy new clothes every three months, when last year’s jeans, cardigans, and dresses still have plenty of life left, is driven by brands’ need to make money rather than a desire to care for people and the planet.

The Unsustainable Cycle of Fashion

Designers used to release two collections a year, but now most release four or more. Many fast-fashion brands even release new clothing every week. However, some designers are opting out of this unsustainable cycle. Back in 2014, Jean Paul Gaultier closed his ready-to-wear label, citing the “frenetic pace of collections.” Last year, he showed his final haute couture collection.

The pandemic brought things to a head for many designers in 2020, as fashion weeks worldwide were canceled or forced to go partially or completely online. Two groups of designers and industry professionals put out proposals—one led by Dries Van Noten and the other facilitated by Business of Fashion—calling for a more sustainable industry with fewer fashion shows and a simplified fashion calendar.

Gucci and the Seasonless Model

Gucci announced that it would “abandon the worn-out ritual of seasonalities and shows” and only show two seasonless collections a year instead of its usual five. Creative director Alessandro Michele referenced the unsustainable nature of the current seasonal model and the accompanying extravagant shows.

Last year’s Melbourne Fashion Week featured a mix of virtual and in-person events with an emphasis on sustainability. The seasonless model allowed designers to show previous seasons’ or “evergreen” designs alongside new-season collections.

Back to Basics: Maggie Marilyn and Other Brands

In November of last year, New Zealand designer Maggie Hewitt announced that her ethical clothing brand, Maggie Marilyn, would become seasonless. Additionally, it would cease all wholesaling and sell only through its own online and retail stores. This change allows the brand to produce clothing on its own schedule and commit to never discounting clothes, a practice it typically had to do to compete with retailers.

The brand had previously introduced Somewhere, a line of lower-priced trans-seasonal essentials, and last year it added Somewhere Sport, a lockdown-appropriate range of sweatshirts, track pants, and singlets. Somewhere offers an extended size range up to size 20 and will now be the business’s main focus. The brand’s more high-end pieces will be produced in small seasonless runs under the Forever collection. “This ensures that every piece finds a forever home, as fashion typically has a huge inventory problem,” says Maggie.

Many local brands offer staple lines alongside their seasonal collections. Standard Issue, a New Zealand-made zero-waste label, has been producing knitwear since the 1980s. The brand’s Utility Collection, Genderless, Recycled Denim, and Tulle ranges are all trans-seasonal. Kowtow, which sells ethically made organic clothing, has a Building Block line of classic styles that receive seasonal color updates. The brand’s collections take 18 months to make from design to delivery. “This slow and safe production model allows us to develop our own fabrics from yarn and keeps us from following trends,” Kowtow stated in a social media post last year.

Liam took the “no new clothes” model to extremes with its most recent collection, Liam Patterns, encouraging people to sew their own garments. The 16 patterns will be available year-round, with additional styles to be added. Future Liam clothing collections will be seasonless and complement the patterns.

New to You: Sustainable Shopping Options

Shop your own wardrobe for forgotten pieces or explore someone else’s by renting, swapping, or buying vintage. Recycle Boutique has recently launched its online store, while the new website Swapology offers members the chance to swap clothes with each other. Kate Sylvester Reloved lets customers sell their second-hand Sylvester and Kate Sylvester pieces. At Ruby Recycle, you can pick up vintage pieces and samples. Ruby also partnered with the rental platform Designer Wardrobe on Ruby Rental and offers a matching service so you can rent and recycle from other customers.