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...Covid yearThe one who, 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 released 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 "uhhhhs"... but it was more GENUINEThere 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 shared. It was a far cry from today, where everyone talks about the same brands at the same time.

But let's return to that precise moment. First day of lockdown. General announcement: the world stopsAnd I tell myself that my brand does too. Everything I had built was about to come to an end..

Then my workshop manager calls me: “Manon, if needed, we remain open.” And then… everything changes. I tell myself that all is perhaps not lostBut first, I had to find some fabric. I thought of a supplier. The first time I went there, he 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 he couldn't recommend anything because of the pandemic. For me, that was enough.And so it started again.

Without hesitation, I filled out 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 will never forget: Empty Paris, silent Place de la ConcordeIt was crazy… and so beautiful. We arrived at the supplier's, 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 been doing before.

But a question arises: what to talk about while the world is talking about pandemic and anxiety? I think we need to do the opposite. Bring something simple and lightSo I launched body shape consultations: I explained how to wear a garment according to your body shape. And above all, I championed an idea that has never left me: you can wear anythingIt's all a question of volume, of balance.

And then… everything speeds up. Subscribers are arriving. Orders too.My stock is dwindling rapidly. Meanwhile, My husband's business is coming to a complete standstill. (He works in tourismZero bookings, zero income. The stress is enormous. So he helps me. After managing the children, homeschooling (A brief moment of solitude… I've never missed my teachers so much), I prepare my models, my photos, my videos… Then in the evening, we both meet in the living room to prepare the orders.Sometimes until 2 or 3 in the morning, so that they can be sent 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 independenceProud to be building something at a time when everything seemed to be falling apart. I continued creating content, I recovered my templates, I launched my new products… and the orders were increasing.

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

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