Going the Distance
In the middle of a crisis, FN’s role has never been clearer as we reach an important milestone.
Celebration during a pandemic is a complicated affair.
Amid so much turmoil and sadness, it is hard to find the mental space to shift gears and mark one’s achievements. And yet, it seems all the more important to celebrate the good moments and acknowledge life’s big milestones.
Truth be told, we thought long and hard about moving ahead with our 75th anniversary issue. While the plans had been in place since early last year, the narrative changed drastically once the world was disrupted by COVID-19.
In fact, we started covering the virus in January, when the situation in China began to impact factories and the population at large. At the dawn of 2020, the story was largely isolated to Asia, but the impact was dramatic as the industry reeled from the dire situation there.
By the time the FN team was on the ground in Europe to cover fashion month in February, the true terror was emerging in real time. Like many of my fellow fashion players, I could feel the tension building in Milan and then Paris as the story started to hit home.
Of course, the rest is history, a tale that is being written and rewritten every day. I’m incredibly proud of the FN staff for their quick response and insightful coverage from the heart of the emerging pandemic.
Despite extraordinary and stressful circumstances, the talented editorial team was doing what it has always done since 1945: Rise to every occasion and challenge to give insight and perspective to the industry.
Our remarkable anniversary celebrates a long and unprecedented run at the top of the footwear business. Since the very beginning, FN has documented every step of the shoe industry’s radical transformation, from domestic engine to global superpower.
Along the way, there were growth obstacles, recessions, wars, 9/11 and enormous cultural upheavals. Change was the only constant, but the mission has always stayed true.
The modern-day advantage is our new and impressively broad audience that has opened the door to a vast, passionate and fascinating group of footwear followers, creators and sellers.
What we have learned is that shoes connect the world in interesting and unexpected ways. This has not changed during the pandemic, when even the smallest of designers and brands are leaning in to help those in need. At the other end of the scale, the massive athletic powers have worked hard to stay close to a shaken consumer base with innovative ideas and rebranded marketing.
As always in moments of great change, there is an enormous amount to cover. In the new world of social distancing, we have moved to create more important and connected virtual events that focus on the leaders of the industry.
Today, using FN’s robust and highly engaged audience of 6 million users a month, we are relying heavily on digital to add a sense of community and connectedness to the industry. The team at FN takes this role as community leader very seriously, and it has been a part of the brand’s DNA since the beginning.
In fact, our cover story on arguably the industry’s biggest modern success story, Christian Louboutin, showcases the kind of top-level access and insight we are known for. A frequent FN cover subject, he is a fiercely independent and remarkably resilient character. Like all the great shoe masters, entrepreneurs and footwear stars we’ve spotlighted, he understands the power of transformation.
As a new world dawns and we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, FN will be right there to document and illuminate the challenging path ahead.
It’s what we’ve always done.
As a new world dawns and we emerge from the COVID-19 pandemic, FN will be right there to document and illuminate the challenging path ahead.