About the year 2020. And 2021 is coming

2020. What a beauty of a number and it started all so well thinking of my travels and assignments in January for example at the Lady’s Winter Games in the sunny Tyrolean Alps to numerous press travels up until Milan Fashion Week in February from where it all stopped, all of a sudden.

It had to, don´t you think?

I really like my job, I love what I do and I am especially grateful that I can do many different things under the brand Irmasworld.com.
I am an illustrator, art director, graphic designer, photographer, writer and lately even a fashion designer.

I am not focusing on one thing as I believe that different fields of creative work are inspiring each other and lead one thing to the other so there is always an energy that never stops you of getting tired from one thing.
Still, a breaking point was needed, not only in this industry of social media, editors, content producers, advertisement, etc.

There was a rush, no time to think, sometimes even not to dream.

Then there was the big bang and everything stopped. Some really stopped and waited or started to produce funny Tik-Toks to get there numbers steadily upwards, regardless of how out of place they appeared in this environment – the social media dilemma. But who am I to judge.

What did we do?

We took a deep breath and started to produce content out of our place about what happened during that time and how it did effect our life.
Yes, I love to cook, and I shared recipes and played around with interior objects at my home, decorated tables for lunch and started to arrange my own flower bouquets.
We developed a new kind of storytelling, editorial content people could relate to even more in a time most of us spend at home.

Most important, we started a fashion brand by accident that day (before wearing a face mask became obligatory in Germany) and my tailor next door produced some face masks which we sold up to the thousands the next weeks. From there I thought let’s do what I always wanted to do after my freshman year at Parsons School of Design, become a fashion Designer and built a manufacture for slow fashion.

Today that is much easier as long as you have a vision and concept of your own visual language, some fashion history and technical background and an already established brand.
You need some good craftsmen and a suppliers of good quality fabrics. If you also have an idea how to produce and manage sustainably, you are set.

I am grateful for this move and I am also grateful that I was able to produce content in my own small cosmos, which was a pandemic given possibility.

We could produce editorial and advertisement content for other media platforms as we did the styling, photography, writing and editing, IRMASWORLD got interesting for companies who wanted to produce locally.

It was the year we created editorial content for magazines, some beautiful features and productions for advertisement clients usually working with established agencies.

Another advantage was that we had the time to discover the new.

This pandemic is also a filter and shows who is really creative and not just a pretender.
If there are no fashion shows, amazingly decorated parties or events where bloggers could pose for a picture, what else can they do except fitness videos? There is a market for everything, but one thing is for sure: creators and brands, also editors will look twice. People no longer want to be fooled and see pictures that have nothing to do with reality.
want to be fooled, and see pictures that have nothing to do with reality.

The COVID crisis allowed me to make an important step because of this acknowledgment.

My personal hope for 2021 is, that I learn to not get lost in the social media dilemma, but instead we will focus on joy and optimism. We strive to live and work sustainably and will honour craftmanship.
We will go on to discover new talent, venues and stories for our magazine, irmasworld.com.
And for all of us, I wish a return to health, kindness, authenticity and the beautiful facets of real life on the terms of real life.

We are looking for the real and I look forward to continuing this journey.