Episode 3: The Covid Year

A year (truly) unlike any other

Dear female readers,

We're back for episode 3. Today, I'm going to tell you about the Covid year . The one that, at the time, was supposed to put a stop to my brand ... and which turned out to be my greatest springboard.

It had barely been a year since I launched Ginette Garde. I was releasing a new product every week, which I presented with photos and videos. Back then, editing apps were still very basic. The content was raw, spontaneous, full of endless "ums"... but it was more authentic . There wasn't this pressure to create perfect content, this race to follow trends. There was room for everyone. Even the influencers were different: more approachable, more genuine. You could tell they truly loved the products they were sharing. It was a far cry from today, where everyone talks about the same brands at the same time.

But let's go back to that precise moment. The first day of lockdown. General announcement: the world is stopping . And I thought to myself that my brand would too. Everything I had built was going to stop.

Then my workshop manager called me: “Manon, if needed, we're still open.” And then… everything changed. I thought to myself that maybe all hope wasn't lost . I still had to find some fabric. I thought of a supplier. The first time I'd gone there, he'd barely looked at me. Now, he's practically family. It just goes to show… in this business, you have to be persistent. I called him. He told me he could sell me what he had in stock, but that he couldn't order anything new because of the pandemic. For me, that was enough . I was back on track.

Without hesitation, I obtained our exit permits (when I think back on it, it seems almost unreal). My husband took me on his motorcycle through Paris. An image I'll never forget: an empty Paris, the Place de la Concorde silent . It was crazy… and so beautiful. We arrived at the supplier's, the curtains drawn. I chose my fabrics like a clandestine thief. I felt like an outlaw. It was quite exciting. Then it was off to the workshop. I launched the new designs that I would present each week, as I had already been doing.

But a question arises: what to talk about while the world is talking about pandemics and anxiety? I tell myself we need to do the opposite. To offer something simple and light . So I launch body shape consultations: I explain how to wear a garment according to your silhouette. And above all, I champion an idea that has always stayed with me: you can wear anything . It's all a question of volume and balance.

And then… everything accelerated. Subscribers arrived. Orders poured in . My stock emptied at an incredible speed. Meanwhile, my husband's business ( he works in tourism ) came to a complete standstill. Zero bookings, zero income. The stress was immense. So he helped me. After managing the children and homeschooling ( a brief moment of solitude… I've never missed the teachers so much ), I prepared my designs, my photos, my videos… then in the evening, we both met in the living room to prepare the orders . Sometimes until 2 or 3 in the morning, so we could ship them the next day.

It was intense. Exhausting. But incredible. I had this feeling of carrying my family… and I loved it . I was worried, of course, but I was proud. Proud of this independence . Proud to build something at a time when everything seemed to be falling apart. I kept creating content, I kept my models, I launched my new products… and the orders kept growing.

That was my moment. A moment that lasted. We reached figures I don't even achieve today . And sometimes I wonder: where have those customers gone? Why aren't they ordering anymore? Have they lost interest? Are their consumption habits different? I still ask myself these questions. This questioning never ends.

Sometimes I wish I could go back to that time. But I know it will never be the same.

I'll stop here for today. In the next newsletter, I'll tell you what happens next: the post-Covid era. And believe me… there's a lot to say.

See you soon,
Manon