Reading Time: 4 Minutes
Normally I would wake up at 5:30am or at least 6am, but during lock down the morning fast forwards 2 hours. No Pilates and no school drop offs mean nothing to get me out of bed early. Ideally, I like to get up and get moving in the morning. I’ve been walking a lot around the neighbourhood and attempting a few online F45 classes, much to the humour of my son.
Fortunately having a teenager in the house is easier than small children, but it still has its challenges. Organising him to get to school in the mornings has turned into just trying to get him out of bed since the lock down began. And I’m never really sure if he is completing his online schoolwork when I ask him due to all the laughter and rap music blaring from his room. Now I just have to get myself ready for work! Coffee is a big motivator – I probably have two a day and am sorely missing our local coffee spot. I make sure to get dressed for the office as I usually would, even if it is just the top half... and leggings on the bottom – gotta’ be comfortable working from home, right?
I have my daily Zoom meeting with the STORM HQ team. We have a lot to discuss each day as the retail landscape is constantly changing and bringing new challenges. We’ll set our to-do lists for the day and collaboratively work on things (I have never sent so many emails in one day before). I’m also finding I spend a lot more time on the phone now: talking with suppliers and keeping in touch with all of my team to make sure they are feeling secure and purposeful.
Even pre-lock down my days would look different every day. I’m involved in nearly every aspect of the business so I like to keep my work-schedule fluid. Usually it’s a mix of production, operational, meetings, and designing. The design process always starts with the fabric for me. I’m a very tactile person. However, I don’t have my usual selection of inspiration, so I’ve been researching back through the archives to reset my mind about fabrications and shapes and using that to come up with new combinations. No matter what though, I always stick to the STORM design aesthetic - I don’t want to come out of lock-down with designs for sweatshirts and trackpants, even though I’m living in them right now too.
It’s crazy how fast the day goes by when you’re working from home! I can find it hard to switch off with work and home in the same place, but I find sticking to some type of routine helps and that means signing off at 6pm (if I can). Then I’ll be cooking dinner and catching up with friends over Facetime, with a cheeky gin or a glass of wine.
Lets be honest we’re all binging on Netflix right now – my favourite shows so far are Ozark and Next In Fashion. The STORM team and I have been sharing our lockdown favourites on our Instagram and I’ve added a few of our followers suggestions to my list – that’s something I love about the STORM community; we’ve all been “alone together” at this time. Whether it’s sharing our thoughts on Instagram or chatting on the phone to some of our VIPs all over the country, there’s still such a strong sense of connectedness.
I’m a terrible sleeper, so I try to go to bed as late as I can so that I’m as tired as possible. I’ve been taking a magnesium supplement and that seems to be helping – so all my fellow insomniacs need to try it!
4 Teed Street | 09 529 0200
Tags: A Day In The Life, Interviews
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