Luxury Trendspotting Isn't Easy in the Covid-19 Age
Brands are right not to churn out face masks in an effort to cash in on the crisis, but they could find ways to accessorize them tastefully.
Limited edition.
Photographer: Amy Sussman/Getty ImagesAlmost three weeks ago, the American retailer J. Crew Group Inc. filed for bankruptcy after it fell out of fashion. But there’s one item from the once-feted store that shoppers just can’t get enough of: masks. The most recent batch of nonmedical face coverings in its signature fabrics — plain blue shirting and blue-and-white stripes — has sold out on its British website.
Upmarket, stylish face coverings could provide a bit of a boost in a coronavirus-strewn landscape, where luxury goods sales are expected to drop as much as 35% this year, according to Bain & Co. estimates. To give some idea of the pent-up demand, fashion search platform Lyst said searches for masks are up 1,600% over the past month, compared with a year earlier.