Insiders On Covid-19 (Part IV)

Elina Grothén, Fashion Editor at ELLE Sweden

How are you coping during these challenging times?

I am well - healthy and at home in Stockholm. But, I am finding it difficult to understand what we are going through. I try to keep sane with daily long walks and a morning meditation. I am taking it day by day and some days are, for sure, harder than others!

Sweden has a different strategy and approach to the pandemic compared to most other countries. Even though, it is nice to have the freedom that we have, which comes with a level of responsibility, it is hard not to see any progress. We don’t know whether we are waiting for the situation to get better or worse? Hopefully better!

How has the coronavirus influenced your work?

I have been working from home since I came back from Milan Fashion Week on February 23rd, which feels and has been an eternity since. But, work-wise nothing has changed. We work as usual, but from home, which is such an incredible luxury right now. I miss the social aspect of the job, but I have become very good at digital meetings.

Many industries are heavily affected by the coronavirus. How do you think it will affect fashion publishing?

Yes, it is already affecting many aspects of the industry: reduced advertising revenues and reduced sales numbers, since train stations and airports have been shut down. And, from the content point of view, we get fewer news and releases.

Editorials can no longer be produced in the same way. The result of this has instead been an increase in home photoshoot-editorials – I-D and Vogue Italia were quick to produce this type of content early on - and many high-street chains and others within the industry have done the same. The classic way of producing editorials will probably not be the same post Covid-19. Of course, there are many other creative things happening that will have either positive or negative effects, not only on fashion publishing, but on the entire fashion industry. It’s both an exciting and cloudy future we have ahead of us.

Find Elina here.

Insiders On Covid-19 (Part III)

Linn wearing Totême and The Row at home.

Linn Hägglund, Stylist & Creative Consultant

How are you coping right now?

I am actually very well. I am in London with my family (we are all healthy and well) and we are lucky to have a big garden. And the weather has been pretty amazing, so actually nothing to complain about. I am spending a lot of time in the nature taking daily powerwalks or runs by the Thames, and I am also doing a lot of pilates or yoga. I am trying to stay positive and use all this extra time to enjoy the small things rather than be stressed out about the situation. 

Has the pandemic influenced your work or shopping behavior?

The pandemic has certainly influenced my work, which is kind of on hold at the moment. I am working on a few projects from home, but I really miss working with my clients face to face. I miss traveling. I miss working with the collections, consulting on designs, preparing for shoots, doing casting etc. I can’t wait to be back together with all the amazing and inspiring people I am fortunate enough to work with. 

When it comes to fashion, this experience will affect the industry a lot - how we work and what we produce. This has forced us to stop and rethink about our shopping behavior. What is really important. What do we really need. And what do we really want. 

My shopping behavior was down to zero in the first weeks of the pandemic, as it felt so wrong to spend money on anything else than food. But after a few weeks, I decided to change my strategy and decided to support the brands I really love, so I have bought a few of the pieces I had on my wishlist that I wanted anyway. I also did a big closet clean out a few weeks ago, and put up many things on Vestiaire Collective for sale. Covid-19 or not I am always a big fan of the “one-in-one-out” kind of a strategy.

Find Linn here.

Insiders On Covid-19 (Part II)

Cyndle photographed for KHAITE by her husband at their studio.

Cyndle Komarovski, Chanel US Makeup Artist

How are you spending your days in New York?

My husband and I have been taking it day by day. We’ve been getting up early every morning, making coffee and just continuing the day at a slow pace. We have our studio about 15 minutes away from our apartment, so we have been fortunate to have a creative space separate from our home.

Are you in the mood for shopping?

I am in the mood for shopping, but my approach is completely different from how I use to be. I haven’t made any clothing purchases yet, but I have a wishlist and I am only focusing on essentials.

How has the crisis affected your work?

It has effected my work in the sense that obviously I am not on a set with a group of people doing a shoot and it has certainly influenced my personal work. It’s been a real rollercoaster of emotions, but I am trying to stay positive and take this time to think slower and outside the box. I am sure we all agree that the pace of everything was going too fast. I think creative people in hard times tend to be more creative because you almost have no choice. It forces you to keep doing what you are doing but do it better - be more considered. It can be a stimulation but, of course, it is not easy and we all struggle on different scales. Going forward, though, I do think we have a responsibility to produce content and advertising with more meaning - focusing on a message or your environmental choices.

I have been working on an on-going collaboration through this quarantine - separately of course - with my good friend and photographer, Hanna Tveite. It’s been a lot of fun creating and experimenting without the pressures of time and expectation. I think through this is also a reminder to value your existing relationships. Don’t take anything for granted.

Find Cyndle here.

Charlotte in Ven.

Charlotte Lewis, Founder of Ven

How are you navigating with VEN in the current circumstances?

As a small business, or for any business really, it is an incredibly uncertain time. However, I have really noticed a lot of dialogue around supporting small brands. Personally, this is something I have always done - as well as shopping second hand. I would rather spend a little more and shop from a brand who prioritize making sustainably made, quality products. Perhaps, they only make a few style,s but they do them really well. These are the principles on which Ven was founded. 

I have also really been amazed by the different initiatives small brands have created to try and help with the pandemic. At Ven, we have been donating to food banks and food delivery services and to those most in need. I think, moving forward, consumers will continue to seek out smaller brands rather than fall back on larger retailers. 

Find Ven here & Charlotte here.

Viktorija photographed at home in New York.

Viktorija Svedkova Jasevice, Brand & Communications Consultant

What are your coping mechanisms? 

Continue having a schedule, taking long baths, introducing new wellness habits - I feel like it's a good time to do it.

How is the pandemic going to influence fashion PR and communications?

I think traditional PR agencies will see that a one-size-fits-all type of approach is not effective anymore and will start looking at new ways of supporting brands. I am very hopeful that we will come out more united as an industry and with new opportunities for small but meaningful businesses. 

Find Viktorija here.

Sofia, Founder of Mehrotra.

Sofia Mehrotra, Founder of MEHROTRA

How are you coping with MEHROTRA in the present circumstances?

As we all know, times are difficult for many companies in all industries. Although, the Covid-19 pandemic doesn’t have anything to fo with the environment per se, it has made us painfully aware of how vulnerable our society is and hopefully increased the consciousness of people in general.

At MEHROTRA, we have, from the start, focused on small scale production, creating pieces that are consciously made and that will be last beyond seasons and trends, and we do not follow the traditional fashion calendar. Our focus has always been on creating a sustainable and conscious brand.

We produce all of our products in India, where the country went into lockdown on March 25th. That meant our planned production went on hold and it still is - with hopes of getting started again on May 3rd. This of course affects our upcoming launches. However, as a small company and the way MEHROTRA is operating, we have been able to easily adapt to the current situation.

The progress of the coronavirus has had a negative impact on sales, especially for our offline wholesalers, who depend on customers physically entering the hotels and stores. Our main focus now lies upon our own online platform being able to offer our customers inspiration in times like these and an easy and comfortable way to shop without having to go outside.

Are you in the mood for shopping?

Currently I am only shopping for things that I feel are valuable and worth investing in - pieces which I need and that will last a lifetime. For me, it is important to support small and authentic local brands and businesses, when deciding to shop for something new. Though, this has always been important in my decision-making process as a consumer.

Find MEHROTRA here.

Insiders On Covid-19

Anina wearing REFINE.

Anina Heé, Founder of REFINE

How are you coping right now?

I am good. I am spending the time in South of France with my boyfriend's family. I feel very lucky to be in quarantine with people I love in a sunny place, and all of us are healthy and well.

How do you cope with REFINE in the prevailing climate?

Luckily, we are still a small business, so we are very agile. We had to put a few projects on hold, but we have quickly initiated new ones that felt more suitable to the current circumstances.

We launched a new collection in March and were wondering, if we should go ahead with it at all in the current climate. We decided to do so as, after all, fashion (even though, not considered a "necessity") is an industry a lot of people's livelihood depends on. We work with small factories in the Northern Italy, which employ people with unique expertise and craftsmanship. As it's an area most touched by the pandemic, we decided to dedicate this collection to those workers and are donating 10% of sales towards payments of their groceries, medicines and other necessities. It is heartbreaking to think about all the people who will lose their job as a result of this pandemic, so I don't think it's right to stop consumption completely. I think, if you have even a small amount of disposable income, it is worth supporting the businesses you appreciate - whether it is a purchase from a fashion brand or a takeout from your favorite restaurant. 

How do you think the crisis is going to affect fashion brands in general?

It is hard to speak for the industry as a whole, but what I can say is that the way REFINE is set up has proofed to be an advantage in this time. For example, we are not part of the fashion calendar and produce in very small quantities and then reorder what we see an appetite for. This means we don't have a lot of inventory that we need to shift in a short time frame. It is a more sustainable way of doing business, as we don't overproduce. It shows that doing things slowly and responsibly works in your favor, so I really hope this pandemic will accelerate the shift towards more sustainable standards that are long overdue.

Find Anina here & REFINE here.

Christie at home & at The Row in NYC.

Christie Tyler, New York Based Influencer

What is your daily routine like?

Now I stay in bed longer than usual… Adam and I cuddle with Rosie and we really take our mornings slow. Then make coffee, make a smoothie of some sort and do an at-home workout. Then, the rest of the day is a mixture of cleaning, working, answering emails, photographing and every other day we take Rosie for a walk with all our protective gear on. Around 6pm, I try to wind down with work and have a glass of wine, and Adam and I cook dinner. Nighttime we just relax, maybe watch a movie or reality tv series that’s on that night. We just take it one day at a time.

How has the pandemic affected your work?

I am one of those lucky ones, truly. The pandemic hasn’t affected my work too much, because now there is even more need for brands to have content, since they can’t have editorial shoots at the moment. I just did a project for Reformation, where I took photos for their webpage and marketing - what would typically be a photoshoot with a team of five or more people, Adam and I did just the two of us in our small apartment. It was tricky, but we made it work and I hope this really makes us all re-evaluate fashion… seeing what can be done with limited resources is inspiring.

We don’t need endless photoshoots, endless productions, endless runway shows. It is contributing majorly to the pollution of our Earth, and I think, at these points, where sustainability and health - mentally as well as physically - are being prioritized, we are seeing that this excess is unnecessary. I think that this has been a wake up call for everyone, to go back to taking things slow, back to prioritizing our health and wellness, to slow overproduction and instead focusing on being truly sustainable in all areas, whether it be travel, work or consumption as a whole.

Find Christie here.

Josephine in DEITAS AW20.

Josephine Dahlin, Founder of DEITAS

How are you and DEITAS coping right now?

My aim with DEITAS was always to build a timeless and sustainable brand. It is central to me to be a value driven company in all the areas of our operations, promoting more healthy and sustainable ways of living. Luckily, DEITAS is a typical new generation company, and we always operated under flexible working hours and communicated via video conferences, so things have not changed dramatically for us.

Meanwhile, our wholesalers such as Net-a-Porter and Harrods are currently partly closed, so the pace of doing things has slowed down and the focus is now fully directed to sales via our e-commerce. This has allowed us to build a stronger relationship with the women that purchase DEITAS and I am incredibly grateful for that.

Right now, I use the time to elevate our operations literally down to the last thread to become a leader in sustainable fashion, making sure DEITAS will still be relevant in the future. I pray that good things will come out of this, and that we have a modern fashion industry ahead of us.

Are you in the mood for shopping?

As a consumer, I’m only spending my money on brands that are authentic and mean something to me. And I take time to elaborate on the concept of needing something and why. That is to make sure it’s not an impulsive purchase, but something that will last a life-time.

Find Josephine here & DEITAS here.