It was a tough year for fashion sales in 2015, and everyone felt the crunch from high-fashion designers to fast fashion chains. During an earnings call Monday, Urban Outfitters CEO Richard Hayne blamed the lack of newness in the fashion industry as the reason why consumers have been slow to purchase. “The last major fashion shift was 10 years ago when the skinny bottom returned to popularity,” said Hayne. “We’ve been with ‘big over little’ now for the better part of 10 years, and I think it’s nearing the end of its life cycle. How long it’s going to take to get through that cycle, I really can’t tell you.” In contrast, home goods and accessories have been flying off the shelves for the Urban Outfitters brand, which is also the umbrella company for Anthropologie and Free People. “Obviously all these categories faced the same headwinds, so why then was apparel the outlier?” Hayne asked. “To me, the answer is simple. Fashion, or more accurately, the lack thereof.”
This is going to totally date me, but back in my day, we got dressed up. My very first job in high school was at JCPenney, then out of college it was Nestle, and then out of graduate school it was Johnson & Johnson -- with a coat and tie the entire time. Sure, we had the occasional "casual Friday" and the even more occasional "jeans Friday," but they often included donating money to charity to earn the right to dress down. I remember one was even sponsored by Lee Jeans. Pretty smart, actually.