We know. Life is crazy. This pandemic is crazy. And surely you are tired of hearing about COVID-19 and all the disruptions it has caused in all facets of the economy.
In this new era that was forced upon us, it is up to us - students, teachers, fashion leaders, and fashion followers - to decide what we will do about this newfound downtime and excess of dirty pajama bottoms that we’ve been wearing to every Zoom meeting. We at Nu View declare a “Nu Norm”. We declare freedom from trends. We declare loungewear as workwear (for now). We declare masks as the new lipstick, gloves as the new nail set, and hand sanitizer as the number one item every woman needs in her handbag. As we discover what this “Nu Norm” will be, we are also discovering for ourselves, some of us for the first time, what it feels like to be “all dressed up with nowhere to go”.
With over millions of people out of work, fashion is on the backburner in favor of necessities. Having the latest designer’s items is not what is important in a pandemic, and it has been predicted that this “recession economy mindset” will have gargantuan effects on shopping patterns, how people spend, and the expected successes of startup and well established brands alike. What this means for us, however, is using our best kept secret skills as college students - being thrifty. Whether it is a clothing swap between you and your quarantine crew, a venture to the nearest second-hand shop in hopes to find someones COVID-closet-dump, or just a reinvention of what you already have, now is the time to put your creativity, and cheapskate-ery to the test.
So get up! Get off your couch, out from in front of your latest Netflix binge, and discover what your “Nu Norm” will become. Grab a pair of scissors, some paint, and your least loved pieces from your wardrobe and GET. TO. WORK. No one can guess how long this will be, so we say let’s make the best of it. Throughout the month, you’ll be seeing our takes on COVID Era fashion, and we would love to see yours, too.
Sincerely,
Victoria Eidson
Nu View Editor at Large