This last year has been at the very least, a tough year. An extremely extraordinary situation that has led the whole world to rethink if what we had established as our way of living had (any) sense at all. Were we happy enough? Was there a reason to wake up everyday? Were we satisfied with what our lives had turned into? In short: did we have the necessary drive to move forward? COVID-19 took hold of the world and (almost) all of the countries went into lockdown. And just like that, an unprecedented stage started: a time for many of us to be alone, to think and rethink. I remember how people started sharing a beautiful excerpt by Kitty O’Meara on social media, that I wanted to get back to, as it was a kind of prediction of what was going to happen:

This last year has been at the very least, a tough year. An extremely extraordinary situation that has led the whole world to rethink if what we had established as our way of living had (any) sense at all. Were we happy enough? Was there a reason to wake up everyday? Were we satisfied with what our lives had turned into? In short: did we have the necessary drive to move forward? COVID-19 took hold of the world and (almost) all of the countries went into lockdown. And just like that, an unprecedented stage started: a time for many of us to be alone, to think and rethink. I remember how people started sharing a beautiful excerpt by Kitty O’Meara on social media, that I wanted to get back to, as it was a kind of prediction of what was going to happen:

“And the people stayed home. And read books, and listened, and rested, and exercised, and made art, and played games , and learned new ways of being, and were still. And listened more deeply. Some meditated, some prayed, some danced. Some met their shadow. And the people began to think differently. And the people healed. And, in the absence of people living in ignorant, dangerous, mindless, and heartless ways, the earth began to heal. And when the danger passed, And the people joined together again, they grieved their losses, and made new choices, and dreamed new images, and created new ways to live and heal the earth fully, as they had been healed”

And I most certainly believe this to be true in many ways. It has been a time when more creatives have gone freelance, to do their own thing and to resume that project they didn’t have the time or the energy to do (when the hectic day-to-day was still a thing). Even if it can sound a bit paradoxical if having in mind the terrible economical landscape caused by the pandemic, I assume that we suddenly had the time to get back to those things that we always thought about but never had time, or dared, to do. And that’s how it happened. We can attest this by the amount of submissions Sicky has received over the last year, which have truly opened a gateway to new and exciting thinking, created in the midst of a pandemic life, in uncertainty and fear, but also hope and new-born creativity.

Sicky has always been keen on celebrating and supporting young brands and up-and-coming creatives. That’s evident in our fashion editorials covering from the most emerging, to the most prestigious. And as we are aware of the pandemic and post-pandemic situation hitting all industries but noticeably the creative one, we wanted to name a few projects we believe stand as an example of overcoming extremely tough times. Two new-born brands created during the pandemic and two that have been coping with it in the best imaginable way:

DÜSK

(Budapest, 2020) and its high streetwear garments. Their first collection is inspired by movies that tell stories about unconventional lovers.

TIA ADEOLA

(New York, 2019) or the brand that’s trying to rewrite history through fashion. The passion of the designer for the Renaissance period and aesthetics is evident in her work.

MEDEA

(Milan, 2018) or the twins whose main aim was to create the It bag that revolutionized Instagram.

These projects were changing things, were approaching sustainability, gender issues, changing creativity bases… They had a speech, they had something to add to the social conversation. It is highly probable that this is not the best scenario for anyone, but it is what it is, and this mustn’t stop.

It is also memorable how key industry names have expressed their concern about the current health situation. For instance, Vivienne Westwood, Charles Jeffrey, Christopher Kane, among the lot. If not raising money, working on actions that helped going -a bit better- through the situation.

It literally seems it took a pandemic to instill even a modicum of change. It has been in the conversation forever, but it is only until recently that the fashion industry seems to be taking steps forward in these matters in order to be responsible, sustainable, conscious. Most fashion shows have gone digital -even if we love face-to-face-, lots of luxury houses have stocked up on their sales... The situation has proved that changes are possible. But then, contradictions show up. Like Bottega Veneta saying goodbye -probably just for a while and as a (great) way of being on everyone’s lips- to social networks. How is that we are heading towards an increasingly digitalized world while some keep pushing for the face-to-face? Sounds paradoxical, but nothing can be predicted in fashion.

It has also been during the pandemic that one of the most acclaimed co-creative directions ever has become a fact. Raf Simons and Muccia Prada in charge of SS21 and FW21 Menswear happened digitally, and with a long conversation afterwards that showed the mutual understanding between both creatives.

We could name thousands of more remarkable moments that might have happened in a normal scenario as well, or not. Or perhaps we just wouldn’t have paid so much attention to it, as many other distractions would have taken the place.

As we are entering the Fall-Winter fashion month, having gone through most of the menswear shows of MFW and PFW, I see a lot of oversize and comfort -kind of a stay-at-home look. For instance, in Rick Owens and Dries Van Noten presentations. For those thinking fashion serves the superficial part of humankind, I hope the final take might be a different one. One that strengthens the purpose of fashion as a reflection of society, culture, and politics.