Abstract
The Covid-19 pandemic outbreak has had a major impact on the fashion industry. Fashion retail has suffered tremendously, and to survive, retailers have had to accelerate their digital transformation stages. This research study aims to explore and draw conclusions on the impact of Covid-19 on the fashion retail industry, as well as exploring how the fashion industry has adapted to cater to an online audience through digital transformation. Through the use of an exploratory thematic approach, the study contextualises leading concepts through a series of interviews of fashion designers in leading retail roles within the Irish market. Four established themes were identified, including; Fashion’s adaptation to digital transformation, Seamless integration of digital maturity, Innovative digital transformation trends among fashion retailers and fashion’s utilisation of social media. The results concluded that the fashion retailers are immersing themselves in digital transformation and innovation, and retailers are effectively starting to merge online channels with in-store shopping experience.
