sportstyle

LEARNING CURVE 28 • January 2021 sportstyle • sportstylemag.com DESIGN By Emily Walzer S ampling fabric for its "handfeel" became a screen sharing experience as suppliers and customers worked remotely, limited by COVID-19 restrictions. And yet, execs report progress made on the sales front. Working creatively, the textile community — marketers, ingredient makers and material suppliers — found ways to successfully navigate an evolving business landscape. "The silver lining of a pandemic is that significant change prompts creative and resilient behavior," stated Dr. Trevor Little, professor of Textile and Apparel Management, Wilson College of Textiles at NC State University. He urged industry to keep pace with the today's consumer behavior by focusing not only on the product but on how the product is communicated. "Fashion cannot afford to ignore this. This is an important part of the future," said Little during his online talk on "What is the Future of Fashion and the Industry" during the SEAMS organization conference in October. Noting that Millennials and Gen Z will represent half the U.S. population in about five years, Little stated that "digitalization sophistication has to be in fashion's future." He continued to explain "Gen Z will number 82 million people by 2026 most of whom have never known a world without Internet; Millennial number 70 million, are a tech savvy group that likes new ideas." Teleconferencing, for example, is here to stay, according to Little's review of these demographics, however, he also forecast more broadly, stating, collaboration and collaborative tools will be directional in the fashion of the future. Suppliers are on board. Execs report that initia- tives that enhanced the user experience online and escalated digital presentation of product to create more compelling and productive customer experiences were keys to success in 2020. In almost every case, these initiatives and investments, accelerated due to the impact of COVID-19, now look to be important tools in selling textiles going forward. Here's how a handful of firms put creativity to work, sparking new ideas and on-the-fly style learning to sell textiles in a changing marketplace. How to sell textiles without being able to touch and feel fabric. The natural order of the textile world was turned upside down in 2020 with online fairs replacing in-person interactions and video conferencing the new sales call.

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