In the spring of 2020, during the earliest and darkest months of the coronavirus pandemic, a group of clothing executives and designers began talking — tentatively — about upending some of the global fashion industry’s hidebound practices.Over several Zoom calls, they talked about ripping up the calendar that demands fall designs be presented in the spring, and spring clothes in the fall. Others suggested delaying the traditional discounting periods and cutting down on midseason sales, which eroded profits.Finally, what if they could come together to improve the efficiency of their industry to prevent the mountains of unsold inventory and wider waste issues that were contributing to fashion’s environmental toll on the planet?By May of 2020, they published a proposal in an open letter, called the Forum Letter, quickly followed …
