With Dog Day in August not often on the fashion calendar, let’s take a look at some reasons to be optimistic heading into fall.

1. Pandemic supply chain problems are fadingThe fashion industry’s long logistical nightmare may be coming to an end. Along with fuel prices, transportation costs are also falling. The number of container ships waiting to unload cargo at her two busiest ports in America, Los Angeles and Long Beach, Calif., has fallen to about 12 from her peak of 100 in January. . Indeed, congestion is worsening on Europe and the US East Coast, and a possible strike by West Coast dockworkers could throw global logistics into chaos again. But if the trend continues, it will be a game changer for retailers, allowing them to better predict when inventory will arrive and how much it will cost to move it from the factory to the store or warehouse.

2. Ecommerce normalization is not a bad thing. While no one expected the pandemic’s online shopping boom to last forever, its rapid return to pre-Covid norms has surprised many in the industry. What’s often forgotten is that the pre-pandemic trajectory — one in which e-commerce grabbed a few percentage points of consumer spending each year rather than suddenly swallowing the entire retail market — looked pretty good in 2019. . Many retailers are also better positioned to take advantage of this more orderly transition. Digital brands are being forced to find the fastest path to profitability as investor capital dries up, leaving more traditional retailers to settle for a hybrid digital-physical future. You can get time, which is…

3. We’re in the midst of a brick-and-mortar renaissanceStores are a hot new investment for many brands, from emerging labels opening their first outposts to digital brands with ambitions to open hundreds of stores. Luxury brands such as Gucci see more stores as a key to growth. Brands unprepared or unable to pursue a brick-and-mortar strategy on their own are entering into wholesale partnerships to bring their products in front of their customers in the physical world. Finding new uses for space that seemed like a liability. Compared to his year ago when his Delta variant of Covid-19 was raging, apparel store traffic has increased by 19% for him, and since August 2019 he has increased by 4%. says Cowen. Urban Outfitters, Macy’s and Nordstrom will announce results on August 23, while Farfetch, Affirm, Ulta Beauty, Coty, Victoria’s Secret, Abercrombie & Fitch and Gap Inc. will report results two days later.

4. (Some) Brand Revival Is Working. J.Crew is making headlines again for the right reasons. Coach, Ralph Lauren, and Michael Kors have more or less succeeded in convincing consumers that it’s worth paying full price for. The ill-fated D2C brand is closing ill-conceived side projects to focus on its core product. Gap’s Yeezy experiment feels more like a distraction than a true rebound strategy, but the company’s long-suffering Banana Republic brand is showing signs of life. This week, he brings you updates on these two brands and Victoria’s Secret.

5. Travel rebound is realFashion industry executives must love all these news reports depicting frustrated crowds crowding inside international airports. Many angry travelers take their first vacation in two years and spend their money accordingly when they finally reach their destination. Tourist numbers will drop with the temperature, which is a comforting sign for brands worried about consumers cutting back on spending due to fears of inflation and recession. As usual the wild card is China. While there is no indication that the country is ready to lift its ban on non-essential international travel, the fashion industry is hoping for a stroke of luck when it does.

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