Faster Fashion: The Wait for Runway Clothes Is About to Get Shorter

Once upon a time, about the only people who attended fashion shows were apparel buyers for high-end department stores, who had to plan what would be on the racks. This is why spring clothing is presented in the fall, and fall clothing in the spring. Today, these shows are social media spectacles, and you’re as likely to find Ciara at one as the associate in charge of shoes at Saks Fifth Avenue. You’re also likely to see every runway look in your Instagram feed or in a story on Snapchat, which makes waiting six months for some big reveal as antiquated as, perhaps, going to a department store.

Now some fashion companies are trying to rewrite the calendar. The “see now, buy now” model—how did it take until 2016 to come up with this?—is so painfully obvious that even Kanye West thinks it makes sense. “I just thought of the craziest idea of all,” the fashion entrepreneur tweeted recently. “I’m going to sell winter coats in the winter!!!” So far, Burberry is the biggest company to make the shift. Brands such as Tommy Hilfiger and Tom Ford are doing it, too, as are fashion-forward labels like Thakoon and Vetements. Prada, Versace, and Moschino have tested buy-now capsule collections. “This new consumer doesn’t enjoy shopping the way the older generation did,” says Roseanne Morrison, fashion director for trend intelligence firm Doneger Group. “It’s on their time and on their terms.”