Traditionally, a downturn in the economy is matched by a more austere approach to fashion. Witness the move from Coco Chanel's little black dress in the 1920s to the dungarees and flat caps favoured by John Steinbeck characters in the 1930s.

However, in the week that the Fraser of Allander Institute said a recession would be worse in Scotland than in the rest of the UK, organisers of two events in Glasgow are urging Scots to withhold donning sackcloth just yet.

The people behind Glasgow Fashion Week and a new cutting-edge boutique have said that their events are not so much decadence in thrifty times, but rather evidence that Scottish fashion could prove to be "recession-proof".

On Wednesday, the second annual Glasgow Fashion Week begins. The Merchant City will host 16 catwalk shows and two seminars over three days. Organisers plan to make the event biannual from next year, bringing it in line with other major fashion weeks around the world.

On Thursday, Reposition, the first pop-up boutique for young Scottish designers, opens in Princes Square. Revolving around eight members of the Glasgow: Scotland with Style Design Collective, the shop will be the first place in the country to sell items by local talent, including designer of the year, Deryck Walker.

Walker moved back to his home town of Glasgow from London to be part of the city's fashion scene. He said shops like Reposition will survive any economic downturn through a mixture of Scotland's love of style and traditional prudence.

"A great thing about Scottish people is, no matter how hard up they are, they will always go out of their way to get what they want," he said. "When the Versace shop was here in its heyday, I never saw so many people in Versace. People will do two or three jobs to make sure they get that shirt or jacket."

He added: "I think we are going back to when people have a good suit and a good coat. What's the point of buying four outfits that will last for a month? That's the attitude people are taking in recession: buying something that will last. That's what my gran did, what my mum did, buying a coat to see her through a few winters."

Prices in Reposition will range from £15 to £1500 and feature art, gifts and designs from Scots including Jamie Bruski Tetsill, Scott Ramsay Kyle and Alice Palmer, whose clothes have long been available in London boutiques but never in Scotland. It is open from Thursday to Sunday leading up to Christmas. Organisers admit, however, that it is a gamble.

"Under normal circumstances you would have to be insane to do something like this," said Mutley, art curator and co-founder of Reposition. "But I don't see the point of stopping and standing still. At the end of the day, everyone still needs clothes. Most people like beautiful clothes, and we certainly have a lot of that in the shop. The clothes aren't cheap but they're not too expensive. Things like the art market is suffering, but not as much as other industries. At that end there will always be a market. Let's not worry about that, it's Christmas."

If successful, Mutley hopes to change the shop in the new year, converting it into a studio space for artists, an art installation, or performance area for local bands.

Glasgow Fashion Week, Scotland's only international fashion week, has overcome serious financial problems to return for its second year. A loss of £60,000 after last year's event left models and workers unpaid for months.

Organiser Yemi Adegite said they had learned lessons and have been stricter with this year's budget. Eleven of the catwalk shows in the Merchant City's Winchester Club and Arta are sold out, and Adegite said he is in negotiations with major international sponsors for the coming years.

"It is a Scottish event, has a Scottish origin, but it does have an international element to it," he said. "By doing that we are spreading our risk, and also opening doors and avenues to be able to fund an event like this. We won't be affected by the economy. Scotland can definitely support an event like this. Glasgow in particular is one of the top destinations in the world, with the second highest fashion retail after London."

Young Scottish designers, including Shazia Saleem, will showcase their autumn/winter collections alongside designers from around the world.

"Scottish fashion has been around for a while," said Adegite. "One of the things to look out for next year is lots of tartan, and lots of the big labels, like Louis Vuitton and Gucci, have suppliers in Scotland. The fashion industry has always been interested in Scotland; we've just never had an event that highlights it."