COVID 19 has changed the entire world as it has been observed. Some things may never be the same again. People’s lifestyles, shopping habits, consumption, and generally how they live have experienced tremendous changes. Online shopping has been one of the greatest beneficiaries of these changes. With the social distancing requirements and turning upside down of the supply chain that existed before the pandemic, e-commerce has saved many from serious shortages characterized during this time.
Sanjuna Madonakendi a young globally recognized Designer & Creative Director with over 10 years of experience in the fashion industry from London says “We cannot ignore the online stores or take a user-friendly approach to consumer’s buying behavior. According to the industry data, global online fashion size is estimated at US$ 752.5 billion. Besides the COVID-19 recession e-commerce will continue to grow with a calculated risk of reducing sales,” said Sanjuna, while adding that for businesses to thrive they will highly depend on efficient use of technology and reliance on data analysis. Fashion brands have taken time to reshape their business model during the lockdown. They are now incorporating the ‘network with purpose and virtual omnipresence’. This is all about thinking out of the box and making your ideas of innovation long term.
“Going forward, it is time to take advantage of artificial intelligence for good.”
Acknowledging the most popular buying behaviours among the young, tech-savvy consumers are “browsing online and buying in-store”, Sanjuna says that this provides a great way to shop. “You already know what you are getting, just need to try it out in a store before buying. I personally shop this way,” Sanjuna stated, adding, “This has given birth to an innovative project – customized software for fashion consumers.”
The collaboration with an aspiring tech firm focuses on developing virtual reality to upgrade pop-up stores. Sanjuna observes that this technology can be used in any industry, but currently the focus is fashion retailers and independent small brands who are struggling to survive. Further details can’t be discussed due to a nondisclosure agreement. However, the world is slowly adapting to AR and VR.
Sanjuna emphasizes that “the fashion industry is lacking innovation in order to track the supply chain also to achieve a carbon-neutral goal by 2050”
The young designer’s purpose-driven approach to bring positive changes to the business and raising awareness about the impact of fast fashion to the environment shows a good leadership quality. Sanjuna Madonakendi’s recent campaign #responsiblefuture to support climate change and carbon-neutral goals gaining more attention for all the right reasons. The designer is also a graduate in MBA-brand management from the British School of Fashion and management in business sustainability from the University of Cambridge.
