Fashion seasons get shorter: Cut, stitch & sell in a month

FASHION RETAILERS INCLUDING Arvind Fashions, Trent, Blackberrys, and Madura Fashion & Lifestyle are presenting collections almost every month these days.

- Viveat Susan Pinto & S Shanthi

FASHION RETAILERS INCLUDING Arvind Fashions, Trent, Blackberrys, and Madura Fashion & Lifestyle are presenting collections almost every month these days. That's down from the typical six-monthly cycle and in response to consumers' more frequent demands for newer styles.

While the concept of a quick rollout to market is not new to the fashion world with global brands Zara and Uniqlo leading the way, in India retailers are catching up with this trend.

A recent study by Vector Consulting, a consultancy which works with retailers and garment companies, and NielsenIQ notes that now 11% of the collections have crunched timelines to 3-5 months, with 2% bringing down the lead time to under three months. That compares with the earlier timelines when 39% of apparel collections took 6-9 months in terms of rollout to market.

Experts and top executives say that retailers could speed up more collections as they cater to consumers' needs. A growing base of Gen Z consumers, that is active on Instagram, wants to fast replicate designs and styles trending on social media. Time, therefore, is of essence for both brands and consumers.