WELCOME TO THE ISSUE

six months ago, I was in Milan with my fashion director, Kenya Hunt, watching the shows that traditionally set the tone for this, our Big Fashion Issue. That now feels like a lifetime ago. Many of us have spent the last six months doing only waist-up dressing and looking for jazzy jewels to liven up yet another Zoom session. Still, perhaps the best lesson fashion has taught us during lockdown is the psychological power it has to lift our spirits – and there is plenty of mood-boosting inspiration here. As a business, too, fashion pivoted to meet the crisis head-on. Brands repurposed their factories to make PPE and hand sanitiser and, following George Floyd’s death, businesses committed to anti-racist action, such as signing up to the 15 Percent Pledge and promising to fill their retail space with more Black-owned brands. That sense of standing together is something this issue celebrates – because if there’s one silver lining to come out of this year, it’s that we’ve all learned the true value of family, friends and communities coming together. Enjoy the issue.

HATTIE BRETT, EDITOR