Sunday on Sunday

Good morning everyone,

I hope you are all well.

After almost 16 weeks of crisis, i must ask this question as we hopefully emerge from the lockdown – Will we be smart this time? Can we keep these past four past months, no matter how painful, in the forefront of our minds as we re-engage with the world? Too often crises force change upon us, but as soon as the light begins to shine again, we forget just how dark it was out there, and we revert back to our old and tired habits.

There is so much we learned, or should have learned, by now: The reenvisioning of the values we lived by, the hurts we ignored, the undercurrents that went unnoticed by so many, the joys of social contact and freedom, the stark realities of an unequal society, the fragility of our lives and livelihoods, the superfluity of much of what we thought we could never live without both personally and professionally. The list goes on and on. At least for me.

When it comes to business, all of the above apply as well. During this crisis I’ve had the opportunity to talk with so many in the industry deeply impacted by the shut downs. In fact there are few who weren’t. This crisis respected no boundaries, no social norms, no economic differences. There were no sacred cows. Everyone was hurt. And the hurt went deep. It wasn’t just economic. It was social as well. And it has changed us. Fear changes us.

What should we be better at? What should we not repeat? What do we really need to be happy and fearless again? What do we need to do to make this a truly respectful and fair society? To make this a country we want to live in and work in and raise our families in? It’s not enough to simply recognize the need for change.

Life should become simpler after something as devastating as this has been. Priorities change and less becomes more. And though it’s not over yet, we’ve begun the process of finding our way in the new reality. Coming out of this crisis, I know that I need less to survive. We’ve all learned that, I believe. Equality, family, a semblance of financial security, freedom of movement, the ability to socialize, the ability to feel that tomorrow will be better than today – these are the things I cherish most. I am surely not the only one who feels this way. How much have we truly learned as an industry? As a society? As a world? I’ve lived through many periods of change and upheaval, but this one feels different to me. It is global as well as very very personal for all of us.

For our industry, the lessons have been sharp. We need less merchandise. We need stronger margins. We need fewer promotions that undermine profitability for everyone. We need fewer employees and fewer accoutrements that we always felt were the signs of success. We need a delivery calendar that is based upon the consumer’s shopping needs and patterns. We need to respect the bottom lines of our businesses’. Most of all, we need dialogue and collaboration between all the various spokes in the wheel of fashion, that allow it to turn. And respect.

I’ve benefitted tremendously from speaking with all of you each week, as well as all the off-line conversations I’ve been having for the past months. Just by putting my feelings into coherent words and messages to you has allowed me to think them through and weigh them on the scales of my life. I’m sure it has been the same for many of you – the re-thinking of your businesses and of your lives. I’ve benefited from the dialogue I initiated with the CEOs of our major high-end departments and specialty stores. I hope it continues. I’ve benefited from being a part of ‘Re-wiring Fashion’ and rethinking the official calendars. I’ve grown by virtue of this crisis and I’m grateful for that at least. I’ve benefited immensely from seeing the varied reactions of my peers to this horrible disease and the tidal wave of change it brought on. But in the end, how we all absorb and act upon the lessons we’ve learned is what really matters going forward, isn’t it? It’s not what we say or hope for or want that counts. It’s what we DO in life that matters.

To a certain extent, there’s truth to the old adage that adversity teaches you who your friends really are. Adversity also brings out character. And I’ve learned that as well, first hand, We’re all strugglers and survivors as well as visionaries. Some rise up to that reality and some do not. There is nothing more important than knowing who your friends really are. And the final question that will remain on my lips when this is all over, the question I will not stop asking myself henceforth, both of my personal and professional relationships, is ‘Can I count on you?’.

Have a great day.

Stay safe. Stay strong.

Gary