Bye Bye 2020

By Emma Golley | 12.16.20

2020 has been a year unlike anything most of us have ever experienced. Despite all of the anxiety and stress caused by near constant uncertainty, it has given many of us the opportunity to reflect, pivot our lives in unexpected directions, and explore new ventures…

With 2020 coming to an end - and I say that with the biggest sigh of relief - I thought now would be as good a time as any to reflect back on the past year, while acknowledging the many people I am grateful for who have been a huge part of this journey so far.

I launched this platform back in April, but I was mulling over the idea long before we ever heard the word “COVID19”. Once the pandemic hit, the stay at home orders gave me the time and headspace to make it a reality. During every spare moment I had, I was jotting down ideas in notebooks and on my phone, figuring out the name, the logo, the aesthetic, content ideas and themes.

I was completely new to the idea of creating my own platform, but it just felt right. I had a lot to learn (and still do) - but slowly but surely it all started coming together.

My background is in fashion design not fashion journalism, so it took me a little while to get used to channeling my creativity into writing and editing. And like so many other founders I’ve spoken to, I had this vision that if I could create this beautiful website with great articles and content, everyone would just come flocking to it on their own.

But as my boyfriend (who is an expert in digital marketing and who I couldn’t have done this without) liked to remind me, it’s unfortunately never that simple. People aren’t going to just know about this shiny new platform, I needed to put in front of their faces. I very quickly learned the hustle and hard work involved in social media and SEO.

Fashion and the Free has enabled me to talk to so many highly talented individuals in the fashion industry. Some were people I’ve known for years but unfortunately lost touch with (you know how it is, life just takes over). Others have been new connections who I have had the pleasure of getting to know and learning their incredible stories.

I started this platform because I had a feeling that many of us in the fashion world share similar experiences others can relate to. But through these stories and conversations I’ve realized I underestimated the true extent of it. Even across countries & continents, so many are connected by the same motivations, fears, hardships and triumphs. And I’ve already been able to apply so many of the valuable skills and lessons to my own life.

This year has been rough (to say the least) - for billions of people across the planet. Some have had it worse than others. But though my conversations for this website it became apparent that nearly everybody I spoke to, from fresh graduates to seasoned business owners, all echoed almost the exact same feelings I felt this year. Uncertain, lost, scared, stressed, frustrated, angry, exhausted, fed up. If you’re feeling any of these things, you’re definitely not alone.

2020 has taken us out of our bubbles of comfort & routine, shaken us around, and dropped us on our heads. We’ve all coped in our own ways. I’ve talked to many who have taken this as an opportunity to change the status quo. To take an online course they’ve always wanted to, pick up a hobby, move to a new city, change careers, start a business, or launch that blog they’ve always wanted to. And I’ve talked to many others who spent most of the year sitting on the couch binging Netflix and eating takeout - which is perfectly OK too. There’s no right or wrong way to deal with it, we’re all in this together. If nothing else positive, hopefully 2020 has at least given you some new perspective on your life and career (and some great TV series!). And even if 2021 won’t be a picnic out of the gate, there’s definitely light at the end of the tunnel.

I wanted to take the opportunity to thank all of the contributors this year, with an extra special thank you to Laura Flanagan and Dr Alana M James, who have invested a huge amount of time and effort into writing monthly articles for the site since it began.

Thank you to Nicole Gresen who has been a fantastic intern and amazingly helpful on the social media front.

A huge thank you to all of the interviewees for sharing their incredible stories.

And lastly, thank you to all of you who have followed Fashion and the Free on its journey so far, for reading the articles, signing up to the newsletter, following our socials, and tuning in to the webinars.

Happy Holidays, best wishes for the New Year, and lets keep our fingers crossed 2021 lives up to the hype.

Lots of love

Emma xxx

Founder of Fashion and the Free

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