Fashion In the Time of CORONA

COVID-19 has impacted the fashion industry in a big way. But it’s not just big brands and holding groups that have been knocked or have decided to shift their focus toward joining the fight against the virus. Though times have been and will continue to be tough, this is a call for us all to help secure a future for the local industry.

- JASON ALEXANDER BASSON

my experience with Coronavirus has been interesting. I attended MilanFashion week at the end of February– possibly the last of its kind – just as the virus was beginning to take hold of the country. On the day of my departure, I witnessed a whole country go into lockdown, and several shows were cancelled. I wouldn’t fully grasp the gravity of the situation until weeks later, when I would witness our entire industry come to a screeching halt. The lockdown has affected the local and international fashion industry in a big way, and it’s also had an impact on the work I do as a fashion director. By the time this article goes to print, the landscape will have shifted in ways I can’t comprehend. But I remain hopeful.

The day before the lockdown, I was shooting a fashion editorial in partnership with Dolce & Gabbana, who’d had a collection flown down especially for us to work on. We had a window of seven hours to do the shoot before the collection was shipped overseas.