Sales could slip due to global warming

Sales in February:this is what could happen if Confesercenti's proposal is accepted.Climate change also affects fashion.

• This autumn's record temperatures have led to a sharp decline in winter clothing sales:hence Confesercenti's request to move the start of the winter sales to February.
• A study by the British Retail Consortium has highlighted how sudden changes in temperature can lead to negative changes in sales amounting to 11 million pounds.
• In the future, the way we consume clothing will increasingly depend on the consequences of climate change:we will need clothes that are increasingly capable of regulating our body temperature and protecting us from the elements.

While the autumn of 2023 was the hottest ever, on November 17th and 18th we exceeded the threshold of 2 degrees increase in average temperature globally on a daily basis.In addition to the dramatic nature of these data and all that they entail, there are practical consequences relating to the effects of climate changes which could involve not only our wardrobes, but consumption and the fashion system in general.The higher than normal temperatures in September, October and much of November meant that many winter items on store shelves were remained unsold.Hence the need to extend the full price sales period as much as possible and the request from the company Phism, the Federation of Confesercenti clothing stores, by move the balances winter to the first week of February.

“The anomalous climatic conditions, with average temperatures higher than normal, continued throughout September and October, negatively impacting the launch of the winter collections,” he explains Benny Campobasso, national president of Fismo Confesercenti in the letter sent to the president of the State-Regions Conference Massimiliano Fedriga.“Sales of autumn-winter clothing, footwear and accessories are in sharp decline in all territories, with peaks of up to 20 percent negative compared to last year”.The proposal is to start thinking about a structural change of the traditional seasonality of sales to give companies the opportunity to try to recover at least part of their profits:lowering prices in January, when essentially the need to equip oneself with heavier clothes has just arisen, increasingly represents a remittance for clothing manufacturing brands.Retailers usually complete winter orders months in advance, it is increasingly plausible that it will still be very hot in autumn, but it is difficult to predict such a drastic increase:having to manage an above average quantity of unsold products generates a problem, both from an economic and economic point of view environmental.

Climate change and fashion

The effects of climate change are more evident today than ever and affect many aspects of our lives, including clothing consumption.We have already talked about how the sector is addressing the problem from the point of view of procurement of raw materials, some of which are threatened byrising temperatures, and how collections are also suffering setbacks.The increasingly blurred division between seasons makes it more difficult for traders to identify the right timing to offer products and for brands to release drop in line with temperatures.According to the report Weather to Shop written by UK Met Office and of British Retail Consortium, the change in temperature can lead to a reduction in sales of women's clothing £11 million (12.7 million euros) for every degree of temperature increase compared to the previous year.

Through applying machine learning techniques to their combined datasets, the BRC and the Met Office have sought to shed light on the correlation between climate and sales at certain times of the year.While in some periods, in particular Christmas, temperatures do not affect that much, in others such as season change, these have a very strong impact.During the transition from summer to autumn, almost there half the change in growth of weekly sales from one year to the next can be explained by temperature differences.The study found little evidence that, at an aggregate level, temperature has a permanent impact on sales, but seasonal weather conditions can strongly influence monthly growth figures.Temperature differences can explain beyond the 70 percent of growth changes of clothing between mid-September and early October.The greater the variation in temperature from one year to the next, the greater the likelihood that this will be the determining factor in sales.Considering these aspects, and considering the fact that in Italy as in many other countries balances are regulated at regional and national level, it makes sense start a discussion on whether their date should be set in relation to the weather conditions of the current year.

How will we dress in the future?

Given the instability of temperatures, people prefer to invest in versatile garments rather than purely winter ones, not only:The increasingly extreme weather events to which we are subjected, will increasingly push us to make accurate reflections regarding the clothing items we choose to buy.What will we need from now on to respond to the needs dictated by climate change?Many brands are investing in research and development to ensure that their garments have more and more properties thermoregulatory:it is no coincidence that thetrekking clothing is contaminating them more and more urban scenarios.On the one hand there is a factor linked to the coolness of this world, ferried by Gen Z into the ranks of fashion, but on the other there is also the need to respond to specific needs in terms of body protection, both from the heat as much as from the cold.