This winter in Israel has been the driest in the past 50 years. After several years of relatively high amounts of rainfall, the level of precipitation in the 2022-2023 season will be low. Consequently, there is a very good chance that this will be a year of drought.
Dry season
According to the calendar, we should be at the height of the rainy season. However, that is not the case. Since the start of the winter, there has been a scant amount of rain.
According to the data of the Israel Meteorological Service (IMS), very little rain has fallen since the start of the winter.
The amount of rainfall varies according to regions but for the country as a whole the average rainfall up to now amounted to 89% compared to the corresponding rainfall last year and to 79% compared to the annual average.
Some areas have registered the lowest amount of rainfall in more than 100 years.
This raises the question:
Is a dry winter good or bad?
The answer depends on who is asking.
Stuck with stock.
Bright clear skies and warm winters are ideal for nature pursuits such as picnicking outdoors and touring the country. But it is not so good for agriculture or the fashion world.
The fashion industry in Israel has suffered greatly this winter.
Every year, fashion companies take the necessary steps to ensure they have sufficient merchandise for the cold winter months.
However, this season, due to the very mild weather, their stocks have remained unsold. These surpluses fill the warehouses of manufacturers and importers alike. Add to the weak sales the increased cost of warehousing and haulage you have the main causes of the current hardships in the fashion sector.
The decrease in sales and the large amount of unsold goods compel manufacturers, importers and merchants to find ways to rid themselves of the surpluses attire during the winter, as they will not be suitable for spring and summer and will remain unsold, taking up valuable space in the stores.
Sales galore
To that end, stores are announcing grand sales and offering very large discounts. But as they say, every solution to a problem becomes your next problem. These hefty discounts in stores and on the Internet have attracted huge numbers of customers. This has created havoc.
Not only are the stores being deluged by shoppers, but many of the websites that are offering the huge discounts have crashed due to the mass influx of orders.
Will the current situation of global warming affect the fashion industry? The answer appears to be yes.
The shoe is on the other foot
Vendors in the footwear sector report that there is a marked increase in the demand for sandals and flip-flops not only in the hot summer months but now during the winter as well.
“Vendors in the footwear sector report that there is a marked increase in the demand for sandals and flip-flops,,,”
This trend is evident not only in companies like Ipanema, which specializes in light summer footwear, but in the shoe industry as a whole.
It is also a long-term trend.
In 2021, customers started asking about light summer footwear by late April. In 2022, customers started making inquiries by late February.
Does this mean that we have started wearing light summer footwear in the winter?
Apparently, we have!.
Comfortable combination
It may look strange, but wearing socks with sandals has gained great popularity and is quickly becoming a fashion trend.
It started with the hip hop footwear trend but when that started to fade, footwear fashionistas initiated the comfortable style of combining socks with sandals.
In the past, the combination of socks and sandals was worn by athletes after training who wanted footwear that was easy to put on and take off.
Today, that warm and comfy combo can be seen in fashion magazines and, consequently, sported by people indoors and out as part of the everyday fashion scene.
Socks with sandals will no longer raise eyebrows when one wears them in the street or in restaurants and bars. The look can be seen at fashion shows, designed by the leading designers.
Fashion forward
So what can be expected in the future?
It may be difficult to predict the weather, but what can be predicted with certainty for the near future is a hot fashion scene.
Discounts on winter wear will continue, and so will the increased demand for light footwear all year long.
This article was written in cooperation with Ipanema