He goes on: "The season shift has become a very real part of our work and it has definitely affected how we design and the way we go about doing business."
While the United States is one of the largest contributors to climate change, and the government has not done much yet to combat this; the fashion industry in the U.S. is definitely paying attention. They are already meeting with climatologists and meteorologists in order to get advice on what kind of clothing to sell and when to sell it. "The fashion seasons and the weather seasons are equally off-kilter," said W magazine's Trina Lombardo. "They'll put bikinis in the stores in February, and winter clothes in the stores in July when the weather won't turn cold till December. Everyone's talking about season-less clothes, or clothing for all climates."
This is obviously an effect that will be felt worldwide. In addition to mainstream industry, winter sports stores will definitely take a hit as the temperatures rise. Down jackets, ski goggles, snowboarding pants, heavy gloves and things of that sort will all go the way of the buffalo. Matierals used will also be effected by climate change. Many materials used are in fact crops to begin with, and that will be effected by heat and drought like other plants.
"Climate change will impact plant fibers in the same way as the food supply," Jo Paoletti, an associate professor of American Studies at the University of Maryland who focused on consumer studies says. "It isn't just a matter of higher temperatures; the real impact is in the higher likelihood of drought and catastrophic, crop-destroying weather. We may also see greater threats from pests and plant diseases. For petroleum-based fibers, the availability and cost of crude oil is an obvious factor. Recycled and regenerated fibers show promise, but not all are truly sustainable. For example, both lyocell and rayon are regenerated cellulose fibers, but the rayon process is much dirtier -- and that includes rayon made from bamboo, which is often promoted as sustainable because of the way the plant is grown."
A spokesman for Harvey Nichols predicted that designers would be more worried than retailers by climate change, however. While the designers will continue to have to adapt, the clothing stores will simply have to shift the merchandise they buy, and maybe re-work the cycle the change clothing; for example target now sells “summer wear” of bathing suits, dresses and flip flops all year round. It is not just types of clothes and fabrics that will be going extinct- but also the way the industry as a whole functions.
Even these "eco-
clothes" can become
endangered because they are made of cotton;
a crop that could be damaged if droughts, floods and high temperatures continue.