The impact of COVID-19 in the fashion industry: a generation survey

The market scenario is characterized by a profound crisis caused by the Covid-19 pandemic that, inevitably, changing and damaging a huge part of the world trade, affecting especially the sectors producing goods that are not considered essential, such as the fashion industry. This sector is strictly affected by the personal ideas of the individuals and their decision-making habits and it is strongly influenced by the role of sustainability. How a consumer can approach fashion goods have factors not linked to the need to buy clothes but related to the personal pleasure to purchase a fashion item. Considering these elements, the paper analyzes the emerging trends in terms of and always connected Z-generation that is using the web and online channels for any kind of product and service needed. First, the paper provides a wide analysis of the fashion industry and its market sectors, using a comparison method to propose a clear picture before and after the actual pandemic situation useful to understand the changes and the different ways of shopping used by consumers during these months. Subsequently, the Z-Generation is described in terms of both of main features and preferences concerning the fashion items to purchase. A questionnaire related to the first lockdown period in Italy was administered. The analysis is focused on the main changes caused by the Coronavirus crisis for coping with the new sanitation regulations which allowed fashion companies to experiment with new selling formats to still attract customers. In addition, in terms of preferences related to the channel used for the purchase of fashion clothing.