The impact of catwalk fashion on shopping habits

The power of the catwalk can positively affect sales, even if the collections seen on the runway are not available in stores until autumn.

Data from 'buy now, pay later' payment solutions company Clearpay, London Fashion Week principal sponsor, shows consumers are already ‘shopping the runway’, with key trends emerging from the LFW AW22 shows driving high-street fashion sales. Below four trends which showed spikes in purchases:

Y2K and Nostalgic Dressing

HBO’s Euphoria helped ignite a new nostalgia in the fashion world, a return of Y2K and consumer fascination with sartorially travelling back in time. This was evident on the runway, with labels such as Halpern, Connor Ives, Edeline Lee and Christopher Kane showcasing 70's inspired looks including crochet patterned dresses, fringe jeans, and micro mini skirts. During the shows, purchases of these trends via Clearpay rose, with crocheted items increasing by 25 percent compared to January 2022/December 2021 and sales of mini skirts up by 55 percent compared to September 2021, and up 93 percent year-on-year.

Apres Ski

One of the biggest trends to hit the runway for A/W22 was Apres Ski, which was showcased through an abundance of oversized outerwear and accessories such as balaclavas, blanket scarves, mittens and fuzzy bucket hats in the likes of the Roksanda and Chet Lo and shows. This trickled down to sales via Clearpay, with demand for balaclavas across both womenswear and menswear increasing by 325 percent compared to September.

Bodycon

The likes of Burberry, 16 Arlington, Supriya Lele & Nensi Dojaka have pioneered bringing sexy back this season, with the return of Bodycon dresses, one shoulder silhouettes and cut out pieces showcased in the latest collections. This was also evident in sales across Clearpay retailers, with purchases of cutout fashion items up since December, and sales are still continuing to rise as in person events drop back into the calendar.

Low-rise Denim

Once deemed a fad, the latest AW22 collections have confirmed that low rise denim is making a comeback, with brands such as Supriya Lele and Poster Girl reviving the trend. This was also apparent through Clearpay sales, with low-rise items receiving a spike in interest throughout LFW and low-rise denim sales increasing by 81 percent compared to September. Additionally, purchases for denim sets or double denim have also grown in popularity, with sales during January and February up by 114 percent compared to the previous year.