The creative industry under quarantine

The industry of fashion, in its nature international, global and, therefore, hyper-connected, is definitely one of the fields that will be affected the most from the Coronavirus outbreak, not only from an economic point of view but also in terms of creativity. How do you design a collection locked down in your house? Where do you find inspiration? How do you run a business remotely?

After the first episode with Gilda Ambrosio and Giorgia Tordini from THE ATTIVO, today Loris Messina and Simone Rizzo, the masterminds behind SUNNEI, tell nss magazine how creativity and standing together are the only way to overcome this quarantine.

#1 Your typical quarantine day

We don't have a typical day. There are days that we are closed in the studio and days that we're closed at home. From February 23rd, when all this started, we've decided to re-modulate completely the company and our days in order to create a new system where everyone is working from home. We've immediately cancelled any trip or meeting, trying to focus on new internal assets and after almost a month we've found a balance that let us carry on all our activities. The funniest thing is that now the roles are reversed - Loris and I are led by our team. One day we prepare the packagings for the e-commerce, the next day we shoot the pictures for the website or we check the stock and all the priorities of the operations.

#2 Your first thought when you realized that Coronavirus was a real and concrete issue

Securing our families, our company and ourselves. We thought immediately "We have to convey a positive and responsible message through SUNNEI!". That's why we got in touch with artists and creative friends to make them share live their experience and to show our fanbase what they cannot do because of this lockdown and what they are doing differently. From a private tour inside Palazzo Monti with the resident artists to a live DJ set by Tocci, our sound designer, from his house. Nicola Gobbetto took everyone on a tour of his latest personal exhibition "Filler", that should have opened in these days and then La Cantafiorista da Potafiori, Olimpia Zagnoli and Gustaf Von Arbin, nail artist Unghiedellamadonna, the young guys from INSIEME restaurant and many others.

#3 The app you're using the most in this period

Whatsapp.

#4 Your biggest fear and what you miss the most

Travelling. To go see our families, to meet our friends around the world and to go to the places we love the most in Milan.

#5 The most pleasing surprise of this quarantine

The pleasure of cooking and eating at home.

#6 Your soundtrack or the album you've been listening non-stop

SIMONE: A 2000 record by The Avalanches.

LORIS: Reggae.

#7 Your tip for creative people who are having trouble with this time of standstill

We suggest not seeing this moment as a complete impossibility to do and create but as an opportunity to take advantage of the time at disposal to come up with a new personal and professional model.