creativity in the time of crisis

Editor’s Note

creativity in the time of crisis

INSPIRATION, FORWARD’s Spring Summer Issue should have been the copy you are reading, but instead, you have ‘FASHION in LOCKDOWN’ in your hand.
COVID-19 pandemic came, and overnight as the entire fabric of our life turned upside down, it also brought along the moment of this Issue.
The purpose of this edition arrived in April during the initial days of lockdown, as the world felt uncertain and unsure. We felt a great responsibility to help, offer a creative outlet to continue the dialogue and keep the community spirit in the period of crucial physical distancing.
FORWARD understands that success depends on close collaboration and conversation with its team, contributors and readers. But the significant alteration to the way we live– self-isolation in our homes to prevent the spread of COVID-19– interrupted the creative community and the entire world.
As an artist, we need to create; our ability to imagine and make it into reality is how we connect with another person.

In the spirit of keeping our “Need and Ability to Create” alive and vibrant, FORWARD took to the social media platform to keep the community connected and continue what we do best–collaborate.
Together we record this incredibly challenging time–the societal and cultural reset, the solidarity, the kindness that created positive change–for we know we will want to look back on how we moved forward with hope.

We agree that finding a positive state of mind is always the way forward–Joan Kelley Walker, a fashionable philanthropist who is doing just that–staying positive– finds kindness and compassion to keep her inspired. Walker also shared about what it means to be a woman, mother, wife, and friend while in quarantine. Every adversity is an opportunity; it brings out our innate inner strength and innovation. Recognizing the nationwide shortage of personal protective equipment–designers, fashion brands, emerging designers, anyone who can put their sewing machines into work made these masks the best way they can. We bring you the stories of how they coupled their need to create and take inspiration from the situation as an opportunity to reignite the community’s kindness.

On the cover are daffodils– strong, life-affirming flowers symbolic of hope and positivity. We bring you the gift of growth, happiness, tenacity, and resilience for a new beginning by sharing your story of creativity, beauty and inspiration with the rest of the world. The fashion community has shown how strong we can be and how creative, even in isolation. We are proud to bring the story of how UforChange, a non-profit organization, in Toronto, keeps the inspirational energy of Youth alive through creativity, during COVID. Executive Director of UforChange, Lea Vares Greenwood, shares how the young people they serve are their utmost priority. She tells about the organization’s adjustments to continue offering the programs and the challenges to keep some youths in the program due to a lack of proper technology devices. FORWARD applauds the resilience of UforChange for their effort to keep the creativity in youths alive through this crisis.

From simple to ostentatious, from functional to high fashion, the face cover has been a significant contribution that helped stop the spread of the virus. The coronavirus pandemic has caused the brands and designers to adapt to a new Fashion Week format as they go online. Many major events like the Met Gala, the CFDA Awards, and the Cannes Film Festival have all been postponed indefinitely. Spread throughout the magazine, we bring you the edit of the digital presentation of Tokyo FW, Moscow FW, Vancouver FW, and NYBridal FW. From cover to cover, we bring the story of survival, of those who fought against the pandemic circumstances and won—the story of inspiration for the generations to follow. ‘FASHION in LOCKDOWN’ organically turned out to be just the INSPIRATION Issue we originally had planned for, if not more.

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