The Cost of COVID

Back in March, when most of us (in the States, at least) were instructed to quarantine ourselves, social distance and wear masks in public, we truly had no clue how long this would last. But four months later, here we are still quarantined, still social distancing, with cases on the rise across the country. The COVID-19 outbreak and subsequent quarantine made us all immediately aware of the effects it would have on our beloved and cherished restaurants, boutiques, brands, and small businesses among other things. The future was bleak and as much as we may want to sidestep the aftermath of what’s to come, we are already faced with the reality. With a government and society seemingly imploding simultaneously, we had to sit by and watch the places that brought us joy, that spoke to us, that allowed us to resonate how we felt and the stories we were trying to tell, wither away. Restaurants, boutiques, and small businesses became casualties in our war against COVID-19 and the grim reality is just beginning to set in.

On July 7th, The Cut posted an article reporting that NSTO-owned brands, Totokaelo and Need Supply Co., will permanently close the doors of their NYC locations due to the COVID-19 pandemic. Staff were informed last week of the closing with the following statement: “Need Supply and Totokaelo have made the difficult decision to wind down their businesses and operations in an orderly fashion.” Need Supply Co. started in Richmond, VA, selling designer fashion brands at a competitive price point. Contrarily, Totokaelo focused on high-fashion and avante-garde designer labels. Both stores were very profitable, earning upwards of $20M in sales each, with plans to open new storefronts in Seattle and New York City. Jill Wenger, the founder of Totokaelo, remarked of her brainchild, “Our client comes to us because they want clothes they can put on with sneakers and a giant cardigan or blazer and tromp around and do life in.” Regardless of how wonderful and successful these two stores were, they were not immune to the effects of COVID-19 and unfortunately, are not the only victims.

Back in mid-June, one of New York’s most colorful brands announced that it would be closing its doors for good due to the financial effects of COVID-19. Launched in just 2016, Sander Lak’s Sies Marjan was praised for its beautiful palette of drapey garments, though due to the financial implications that has arisen due to the pandemic, his dream has been cut short. “What we have worked on has been a dream come true. Thank you to everyone who has given their time and talent to Sies Marjan over the years. We have built a singular brand whose whose legacy in not just in the clothes and collections but within each person who contributed along the way,” Saks remarked. Sies Marjan was dealt a large financial blow last year with after the closure of Barneys New York, which Sies Marjan had an exclusive deal with.

Speaking of the closing of Barneys New York, another retail goodbye we had to make was the closing of all three Jeffrey stores for good. Nordstrom made the official announcement as they were the owners of the stores after purchasing them from the founder Jeffery Kalinsky in 2005 when he was brought onto the board for the department store. Kalinsky was nothing short of a visonary with his three stores designed in a way that distanced itself from the plush and posh ideology of Bergdorf Goodmans or the edgy and esoteric landscape that was Barneys New York. Kalinsky’s stores were that of an art gallery that allowed the clothes on the floor to speak for themselves and create the atmosphere of the brick and mortars. “I don’t like anything to distract from the merchandise. We are very much a white store where the merchandise becomes the art. While I’m disappointed in their decision to close Jeffrey stores, I understand it is the right decision for the business given the circumstances of this global crisis. I’m grateful for the tremendous support Nordstrom has shown me over the years and the contributions they’ve made in growing the Jeffrey brand. I’ve formed meaningful friendships with so many people at Nordstrom, and I wish them nothing but continued success.”

2020 has proved to be one of the hardest years for businesses, especially those in the fashion industry. The global COVID-19 crisis has forced brands and businesses to pivot while working in a landscape that is our currently in turmoil. Fashion brands have stepped back from the traditional fashion calendar, dramatically pulling back on the amount of collections and products they produce - all in an effort to find more innovative ways to create a more sustainable environment to live and thrive in. The future is uncertain and it is clear there is no going back to “normal,” rather we have understood the detriments of our past way of living and need to continue to reassess if real change is to be implemented moving forward.

From the whole team at Fashion Moves Forward, we hope you all are safe and healthy. We are all in this together.