Summer is coming to a close and our End of Season SALE is in full swing! Which also means that it's time to start looking forward to FALL and figure out what comes next!
This new season is going to look quite a bit different than anything we've seen before. The Covid-19 pandemic has wreaked havoc on a lot of things we've come to expect from daily life. We're settling in and learning to be vigilant and safe while wearing face masks, distancing and sticking to our social bubbles. There are still a lot of people unable to return to work and many workplaces have adapted to support work-from-home scenarios. And of course, 'back-to-school' will be...well, who knows... There's no question that our day-to-day life has been disrupted and it only stands to reason that for us here at Mandala, we'll also need to adjust to a new way of doing business.
One of the main questions I've been hearing over the past few weeks is "Will you be making anything for Fall?" and the resounding answer is; YES! Yes, we will!! But, it will look different than usual and I wanted to sit down and let you all know what we're working on and what you can expect from the Mandala Gang as we navigate a brand new season in a brand new world.
The first styles for Fall 2020 will be hitting the shop in the next couple of weeks but unfortunately, we won't be releasing an overall "lookbook" for the season. I've decided against doing a Fall photoshoot for a number of reasons, the main one being that we need to be conservative with our financial resources so that we can weather whatever this pandemic throws our way next. We will, however, be releasing fun images of each style as they are just about ready to hit the floor. You'll see the usual mannequin shots along with pics of some of our friends and family in the styles they love. Be prepared to get more familiar with each of us in the Mandala Gang as we do double duty as models ourselves!
One other thing you'll notice about Fall 2020 is that it will be more compact than previous years and we will be producing fewer quantities of each style. As we pivoted our business at the height of the shut-down to make masks (and keep the lights on!), it meant that the time normally spent designing and sampling and planning the season was spent heads-down at the sewing machine. We're getting back on track now and I'm happy to say that by next week all of our staff will have returned (yay!). While we can't get back the time we've lost, you better believe we'll make the best of the time we've got now. So, keep in mind, when perusing the pretty new things for Fall, all styles will be limited runs! This is not the season for lollygagging - if you see something you love...grab it!!
We're also still playing around with the hours the shop will be open for Drop-In Shopping vs. By Appointment vs. Curbside Pick-Up. This will most likely be an ongoing concern as we stay tuned to what's happening in the city with Covid case numbers and customer demand. What's that saying about the only constant being change? Yeah, that's what our mantra will be this fall. As we update our hours and days of business, I'll be updating our website, google listing and social media info to let you all know. Keep your eyes peeled for the changes and of course, our online shop is always open!
Before I sign off, I want to thank you all from the very deepest depths of my Mandala heart for sticking with us through all of this! There have been a lot of challenges for us all over the past months and I know how lucky I am to have made it this far. That's all thanks to you. You guys are the BEST!
All right, let's do this.
~Mandy