Global Stories From a Month That Changed Fashion Forever – BoF
Tue 24 Mar
Over the last four weeks, the Covid-19 pandemic has shut down fashion’s capitals and triggered a global economic meltdown. BoF documents the early days of the crisis.
Arriving in Paris from Milan, Stefano Martinetto was surprised at how casual everyone seemed about the spread of the virus. The airport didn’t even require temperature screenings.
There was a “false sense of security,” said Martinetto, the chief executive of fashion group Tomorrow London, which provides services including consulting, investment, manufacturing and marketing to emerging designer brands. But there were warning signs of the economic fallout to come, including noticeably fewer buyers from Asia and the US. When he returned to the UK, he and his team went into self-isolation. They haven’t been back to their office since.