My Lack of Enthusiasm for “Contemporary” Apparel

It was fun to be interviewed by Business of Fashion reporter Chantal Fernandez about the contemporary market, a topic I used to think a lot about as both a professional buyer of it and as a heavy consumer of it.

Fernandez’ article, “The Contemporary Needs a Rebrand,” covers the crowded nature of the market, its need for liquidity, and the impact on it of department store struggles, while pointing to the turnaround of Vince as a bright spot.

The gist of my commentary was that the contemporary market has suffered from a lack of differentiation among its brands for several years now. While often on-trend and flattering, they’ve rarely achieved the level of storytelling that brands above or below them from a price standpoint have. They’re not inexpensive and yet don’t have the resale value - increasingly a consideration as the secondhand market expands - of the higher end.

So I anticipate a bifurcation, especially as society continues to get more casual, where consumers opt for luxury or value and the desire for the $345 blouse goes away.