L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, JULY 22, 2021 www.italoamericano.org 32 L'Italo-Americano t h e F a r E a s t b u t a l s o o n European markets." Brands that are kind to their workers and the planet are attractive to consumers. In the last year, the trou- bled industry has invested heavily in digital communi- cation and solutions, such as e-commerce, social com- merce (s-commerce), mobi- le apps, and other kinds of a p p l i c a t i o n s r e l a t i n g t o a n a l y t i c s , A I , a n d m o r e . Augmented reality is used to enhance the customer shopping experience. Communication strate- g i e s h a v e b e c o m e m o r e fluid and continuous throu- ghout the year. I n e i g h t m o n t h s , t h e s h a r e o f e - c o m m e r c e fashion sales nearly doubled from 16 percent to 29 per- c e n t g l o b a l l y , l e a p i n g forward equal to six years of growth. While s-commerce, based on social interaction b e t w e e n c u s t o m e r s w h o discuss objects of desire via a wide range of platforms, has created digital identities in virtual hangouts. B u t d o a l l t h o s e n o w - essential digital features represent the miraculous cure? And what are the pros and cons of this implemen- t e d w e b s o c i e t y a n d t h e digital revolution? "Pros: we have entered the CTC economy --consu- mer to consumer markets -- where we can find any pro- duct, brand, review, infor- m a t i o n o n l i n e , " s a y s S a v i o l o . " I n t h e p a s t , fashion was almost secret: fashion shows and parties were reserved to the happy few. Digital is also helping track and trace products in t h e s u p p l y c h a i n . A b o u t cons: digital is cold. It is not human yet, and requires a strong re-skilling of people in the industry." Aggressive digitalization has created a sort of demo- cratization of access to con- tent. But did it really help i n c r e a s e t h e n u m b e r o f potential clients? Doesn't it h a v e o n l y a s h o r t - t e r m effect? "There is a lot of noise out there, and brands have transformed into broadca- s t e r s . T h e y h a v e s t o r i e s , p l o t s , c h a r a c t e r s . T h e y m a k e m o v i e s . T h e y a r e always on stage 24/7," says Saviolo. "On the one hand, this has created more inte- Multiple Views SS21-The Show that Never Happened. The theme of non-shows was hot last year, with more purposeful and inclusive traits fashioning the new reality- another opportunity i n t h e p a n d e m i c e r a . F a s h i o n h o u s e s s h o w e d traits perhaps never seen before, such as kindness. Attendance and exposure i n c r e a s e d e x p o n e n t i a l l y online. Rising from a maxi- m u m o f 7 0 0 g u e s t s a t a c l a s s i c r u n a w a y s h o w , i t was possible to have tens of millions of users connected simultaneously. T h e D i o r s i l h o u e t t e s created by the Italian desi- gner Maria Grazia Chiuri for the digital Salento show filmed in the beautiful yet bare piazza of Lecce char- med more than 16 million visitors. I n a n o t h e r s h o w , D i o r proved its sustainability by planting 164 trees used as scenography. Many brands opted for environmentally- f r i e n d l y s o l u t i o n s . F o r e x a m p l e , G u c c i a n d Burberry created carbon- neutral fashion shows. I n h e r b o o k T h e Branded Supply Chain, Stefania Saviolo writes that just as one jacket size does not fit all, the concept of sustainability differs for the v a r i o u s b r a n d s . " E c o - friendly brands that put the planet first need to scale up and make a relevant value proposition beyond pure sustainability," she says. "At the same time, traditional business models that were not born sustainable need to find their way by starting a journey that cannot reach f u l l t r a n s p a r e n c y b u t embrace a cause that makes sense for their brand and positioning." Covid-19 has re-written t h e f u t u r e o f I t a l i a n a n d E u r o p e a n t o p b r a n d s "growing more local custo- m e r s , " e x p l a i n s S a v i o l o . "Then, through 'phygital' r e t a i l - - l e s s w h o l e s a l e - - develop a more responsive and demand-driven supply chain because companies need to maximize full-price revenues." The brands that perfor- med better were "all brands engaging their local custo- rest in some brands but not necessarily a strong interest to buy. Conversion is always difficult where competition i s g e t t i n g s t r o n g e r a n d s t r o n g e r i n a l l m a r k e t s , categories and channels and resources scarcer and scar- cer." Covid-19 had a disruptive effect on the identity of pri- mary fashion weeks, which in response experimented with a kaleidoscopic range of digital offerings to show- c a s e c o l l e c t i o n s v i a l i v e streams, 3D presentations, v i d e o t a p e d r u n a w a y s shows, and movies broadca- st on TV. N o n - s h o w s s t r i k e a chord Prada, the first to pro- duce fast masks, opened a new era of online fashion shows last July during the first Milan Digital Fashion Week. Journalists, buyers, stylists, influencers, and fans of the iconic Milanese fashion house would squint over a computer screen in d i f f e r e n t c o r n e r s o f t h e globe to watch the minima- list collection via a series of f i v e s h o r t f i l m s t i t l e d mers and showing care and concern for the situation," says Saviolo. Resilience is the key Resilience has risen to the top of the pile for 101 Italian fashion and luxury companies. They were the object of research released by SDA Bocconi that explo- r e d t h e i r c a p a b i l i t y t o a b s o r b a n d r e a c t . " W h a t emerged is solid digital resi- lience," says Pasini. "They will continue investing in ICT/Digital. In some cases, t h e y h a v e e x p r e s s e d t h e i n t e n t i o n o f g r o w i n g t h e allocated budgets by 10 per- cent or more." Fashion weeks are now adopting a hybrid operating model by bringing back the live shows. Do we still know how to get dressed? Can we feel the joy? The biggest challenge for the future lies in finding the right combination of online experience and the human touch," says Pasini. Ya, we are in the "phygi- tal" age. But nothing is hea- ling like that snippet of phy- sical contact soothing our jangled nerves. Prada opened a new era of online fashion last July with its fully digital shows. Photo courtesy of Prada In the last year, the fashion industry has invested heavily in digital communication and solutions such as e-commerce, social commerce (s-commerce) mobile apps and other kinds of applications relating to analytics, AI and more Continued from page 30 LIFESTYLE FASHION FOOD ARTS ADVICE

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