Couture fashion is once again approaching best of health

Who ever said that retail is dead? To be perfectly honest, I'm not sure anyone has, but there have been enough bad stories, doom-laden predictions and a never-ending stream of "when will the good days return" style interviews that I think I just feel that someone must have said at least once in the past six to eight months.

However, in the blink of an eye (or maybe more appropriately a camera flash) this all seems to be changing, as the industry appears to have picked itself up, dusted itself down, and told the recession to go and bother someone else.

For those of you who don't quite have their fingers on the pulse of the fashion world, it is currently fashion show time and the general consensus is that with the recession biting at their heels, couture fashion and the catwalk brands are consciously becoming more commercial minded and accessible to more and more people, and maybe even the masses.

Finally it seems that large fashion houses have realised that price points are now as important as hem lengths. The result is that brand accessibility through the process of reduced prices is something which now seems to be driving their business.

My wife has just returned from the Paris Fashion Show and the general feeling was one of energy, positivity and creativity.

Six months ago, this may have been mistaken for a carefree recklessness, but in actuality the fashion world (as it always does) has responded to the econ-omic woes with even more energy than ever, with the result that there was no discernable drop in design quality, but brands are now less expensive and therefore slightly more accessible. Moving away from the catwalk (but not too far) is a similar example of increased accessibility, but one that has been happening now for the past five to six years among a few retailers.

Last week, Jill Sander's "+J" collection for Uniqlo had its international launch in London. With Sander on board as a permanent design consultant Uniqlo, or its Japanese mother company Fast Retailing, is looking to bring catwalk design to the masses by delivering products such as scarves and overcoats within a very reasonable £15-£99 price range (Dh88 to Dh580).

Finally, we look at the Spanish company Inditex. During the first six months of the year, when, if we were to believe some analysts, the stock markets had more bears than the North American woods, Inditex opened 166 stores across 35 countries, taking their global store count to a figure rapidly approaching 4,500.

To continue with their vigorous store opening policy at a time when most industries were approaching meltdown, gives us an insight into how resilient this little industry of ours really is.

Although we have certainly been through a rough patch, the retail industry seems to have come through the worst, and is once more approaching the best of health. The top end of the market has readdressed the way they now go to market through the use of innovative stores or brand collaborations and by being more sensitively aware of their price points. Mid-market players know that they can ride out the storm by maintaining their fast-fashion model of quick-stock turnover and product lifecycles, while at the same time becoming increasingly accessible to the masses by opening more stores.

So what has really changed, in truth not much really. Although the retail sector has adapted, it has done so by doing what it has always done, which is delivering good products, across more stores at cheaper prices. This is retail at its simple best and long may it continue.

- The writer is Head of GRMC Retail Services, Dubai.