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In lieu of an IRL show, One Of A Kind is spotlighting its vendors daily on Instagram from 12 to 2pm EST.

One Of A Kind, the biannual event celebrating craft and its makers, was scheduled to hold its Spring Show in Toronto from March 25 to 29. In light of the coronavirus pandemic and social distancing measures, the show was initially postponed and then eventually cancelled. As an event that spotlights Canadian small businesses—across fashion, beauty, food, home and more—One Of A Kind is a true celebration of craftsmanship. In an effort to continue supporting artisans across Canada during this difficult time, the show has decided to go digital.

From now until April 30, followers of @ooak_toronto on Instagram can enjoy daily virtual tours of the event through Instagram Stories⁣. Each 2020 Spring Show artisan will be featured over the next few weeks, with a swipe up to their websites making it super easy to shop. The virtual shows will take place every day from 12 to 2pm EST, and every feature will be archived to their Instagram Story highlights so you can revisit each ‘booth’ if you missed them live the first time around.

“Our One Of A Kind makers and their livelihoods have been deeply affected by the outbreak of COVID-19,” reads a statement from the event’s organizers. “As creative entrepreneurs, exhibitors play a vital role in fostering community diversity and economic vitality across Canada. We are saddened by the fact that we cannot host our Spring Show in 2020, but it is our hope that through our digital platforms we will be able to bring you a few moments a day to unite, share, and celebrate creativity.”

Day 1 of the virtual shows featured over a dozen food vendors, including Going Nuts, a family-owned business from Calgary specializing in handmade nut milk, granola and nut butters; Ottawa-based Alicja Confections, known for its Insta-worthy beautifully packaged chocolate bars; and Le Bruloir, an ethical specialty coffee vendor from Montreal.

Now, more than ever, Canada’s small business community needs our support. Head to OOAK’s Instagram page to be instantly connected to hundreds of vendors around the country, making it easier than ever before to #shoplocal and help get our favourite artisans and craftspeople through this difficult time. For more ideas on how to support Canadian businesses, check out our roundup here.

He’s urging everyone to “treat people with kindness.”

Harry Styles is the latest celebrity to join in relief efforts for COVID-19. The former One Direction singer has released a limited edition T-shirt to help raise money for the World Health Organization’s (WHO) COVID-19 Solidarity Fund, and to help spread key messages around staying home during this time.

The white T-shirt is emblazoned with the message “Stay home. Stay safe. Protect each other” on the front, and “This T-shirt fights COVID-19. Treat People With Kindness,” on the back.

In a statement talking about why he designed the shirt, Styles said, “In times like these, it is more important than ever to remember the power of people. If you are able to help, please donate where you can. 100% of the profits of this T-shirt will go towards fighting COVID-19. Stay home, self-isolate, and protect each other. TPWK.” The acronym at the end of the message stands for “treat people with kindness.”

The news follows today’s announcement that Lady Gaga has teamed up with WHO to hold a virtual concert featuring some of the world’s biggest stars (including Lizzo and Billie Eilish) to raise money for COVID-19 relief.

Harry Styles’ T-shirt is available for purchase through his website for CAD$36.

Last year, the Swedish Fashion Council made an unprecedented move while planning the annual Stockholm Fashion Week: They canceled the event entirely, citing concerns about its environmental impact. Not everyone in fashion is taking such drastic measures, of course, but it spoke to the urgent need for action on the issue, one that designers and customers alike are now recognizing.

Fashion is responsible for around 10 percent of the world’s carbon emissions and nearly 20 percent of the world’s water waste, according to several United Nations groups. An estimated 85 percent of the world’s textiles end up in landfills or incinerated. Fast fashion no doubt contributes mightily to this waste, but it is by no means alone.

At the G7 summit in August, 32 major fashion companies, including Kering, Chanel, and Inditex (the parent company of Zara), committed to a host of environmental initiatives, agreeing to eliminate single-use plastics by 2030 and to seek out more sustainable sources of raw materials. Gabriela Hearst made headlines when she offset the carbon footprint of her spring 2020 fashion show in New York by limiting transportation energy costs, booking local models, minimizing packaging and energy use, and reducing waste. And after Nordstrom created a mechanism for its customers to shop online for “sustainable style,” customer searches for that category rose by 3,100 percent in 2019.

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So has the fashion industry finally shifted from lip-service sustainability to impactful action? Certainly, many are making changes, simultaneously forced and incentivized to do better by socioeconomic forces, from stricter recycling laws to the galvanizing activism of so many young people. In 2019, Kering—owner of Gucci, Balenciaga, Saint Laurent, and other luxury brands—pledged to offset its greenhouse gases by purchasing carbon credits and to commit to full carbon neutrality across the company. LVMH and Burberry are doing the same. Writing checks won’t make the fashion giants truly sustainable, but it is a potent and promising gesture from the industry’s leaders.

One shudders to think of the carbon footprint of red-carpet fashions that are jetted across the world and worn once, if at all. But some stars are shaking up the status quo. Joaquin Phoenix showed up at January’s Golden Globes in an impeccable Stella McCartney tuxedo he promised to rewear throughout awards season. Easier done with a suit than a gown, but the dis to fashion’s wear-it-once ethos was on point. Hollywood stylist Jeanne Yang says several of her clients have requested sustainable options for their red-carpet appearances. At his Aquaman premiere, her client Jason Momoa donned a vintage Tom Ford–era Gucci robe that Yang found on The RealReal. (He slipped it off to dance the haka.) “I try as much as possible not to use fast fashion, even for my kids,” says Yang, who is cooking up a concept for a suit that could be worn three different ways to reduce the need for her clients’ frequent wardrobe changes. It’s now boast-worthy to participate in sharing-economy and reuse enterprises such as Rent the Runway and The RealReal, which posts the gallons of water offset by each customer’s purchase.

It’s heartening, but none of this nears the tidal wave of action required of the industry and the consumers who support it. It may take real discomfort to make the changes necessary in time to avert planetary disaster. And discomfort—unless we’re talking stiletto heels—is rarely embraced by the ease-obsessed fashion industry.

Isidore Montag

We can all do our part by buying fewer, better clothes. Maria Cornejo, designer of Zero + Maria Cornejo, has been manufacturing in New York and reusing dead-stock and sustainably made materials for years, but her real goal, she says, is to make clothes that people will want to wear for decades. “Make good heirlooms,” she argues. “Nobody buys anything because it’s sustainable. First, it has to be desirable.” That thought is echoed by Erin Lowenberg, creative director of Rothy’s, a footwear company that launched in 2016 with two styles of flats knit from recycled water bottles (Meghan Markle is a fan). Its initial customers may have been more interested in the look and feel of the shoes than their impact on a waste- and leather-intensive industry, but the brand’s environmental cred has surely contributed to its explosive growth (its customer base increased 105 percent from 2018 to 2019, surpassing 1.4 million). It introduced its newest category in March: handbags made from a blend of ocean-bound marine plastic and recycled water bottles.

Solutions must be more than just green, which is why Stephanie Benedetto talks up financial and inventory-management benefits as she makes the case for Queen of Raw, a technology platform she cofounded in 2018 to connect people and brands with leftover fabrics—an estimated 15 percent of every production run. Queen of Raw caters to home sewers as well as big fashion companies, and Benedetto estimates that dead-stock textiles could become a $120 billion business. “It’s insane, the volume that is out there,” says Benedetto, who has listed fabrics up to a million yards long, or as short as a few yards, for a base of over 130,000 clients. “Never doubt you can change the world,” she says. “We will.”

Young brands such as Reformation are finding fans who are equally drawn to their designs and their sustainable efforts. Reformation operates on the borderline of fast fashion, but it offers public tours of its Los Angeles factory to prove the bona fides of its fairly treated workforce and posts photos to its Instagram account of suppliers such as Filpucci, a Tuscan mill that recycles cashmere into new yarn.

It’s doubtful Greta Thunberg intended to become a fashion muse, but she has inspired everything from T-shirts emblazoned with her likeness (possibly the precise impact she opposes) to a full collection by Sweden-based designers Josephine Bergqvist and Livia Schück, founders of the label Rave Review. Their spring 2020 collection was made with only preexisting materials, including upcycled vintage blankets, bedsheets, and tablecloths.

Michael Campanella

As parts of the world grapple with water shortages, anyone with a heap of denim in their closet might note the terrifying UN statistic that it takes 10,000 liters of water to grow a kilo of cotton—the equivalent of one pair of jeans. Levi Strauss & Co. has updated its climate action plan to reduce its global supply chain’s greenhouse gas emissions by 40 percent by 2025—and by 90 percent in its owned-and-operated facilities. Now consumers need to step up. How many pairs of jeans does someone need—and how often should they be washed?

Perhaps, as with so many eco-friendly shifts—like ditching plastic for glass bottles—change will come not from looking to the future, but to the past. Living sustainably came naturally to our grandparents and great-grandparents, who spot-cleaned, mended their clothing, and maintained minuscule wardrobes by modern standards. The answer may well have been right there all along—in our closets.

Top image: “Cold Feelings” (2012) by Djuno Tomsni.

This article originally appeared in the April 2020 issue of ELLE.

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The Roses have been through a lot. We’re going through a lot. No wonder, then, that the show’s highly shareable GIFs reflect our own crazy times.

Over the course of its six years on air, Schitt’s Creek became one of the most GIF-able shows in television. From Moira’s one-liners and David’s facial expressions to Stevie’s quips and Alexis’s boops, gestures and winks, the show offered hundreds of little gifts that keep on giving. Twitter is rife with GIFs of the cast members, as are countless group chats. While we may not be able to directly identify with the story of a family that loses its millions and ends up in a Podunk town, there’s a universality to the narrative that can apply to almost any scenario. In fact, it’s entirely possible to construct the whole arc of this unprecedented period of prolonged self-isolation in a series of Schitt’s Creek GIFs. Don’t believe us? Read on for proof…

Back during the innocent time when we thought washing our hands and not touching our face would be enough:

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Practising social distancing:

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When we first started to engage in self-isolation:

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By the end of Week 1 of working from home:

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When we started running out of things to do:

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Week 3:

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When we realized we were in it for the long haul:

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Finding comfort in the fact that we’re not going it alone:

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Week 5:

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When everyone’s talking about being productive:

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Week 6:

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Every time we step out for a brief walk:

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Week 8:

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Us, to other humans:

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When we’re officially allowed out of our homes:

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When we can finally hug people again:

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I first heard about the novel coronavirus on January 19 in my home in Shenzhen. Just the day before, my office had closed for the Chinese New Year break. At the time, the situation didn’t seem very serious, and like many, I was preparing for my holiday travels. On January 23, I traveled from China to Milan with no issues. However, when I arrived in Milan, I learned that on the same day, Wuhan had been put on lockdown.

With the increase in travel over the holidays, things took a quick and nasty turn in China—and then the world. Soon, travel bans became ubiquitous, and these would prove to be challenging in running my business. As the CEO and founder of designer ready-to-wear brand Judy Zhang and a fashion production company, I split my time between Shenzhen, Milan, and New York.

When I launched my own label in 2019, I was determined to base my brand out of the three cities that inspire me most. I am attracted to New York’s diversity and how the city presents opportunities for people of different walks of life to thrive. Milan, on the other hand, is rich with culture and art, and is known for its delicacy in craftsmanship. Lastly, Shenzhen—which, in comparison to New York and Milan, is a young city—is a breeding ground for creativity and miracles. The interactions I have in these cities broaden and enrich my perspective, and they inspire me to push myself to bring out my own individuality in designing something more global.

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Initial design always begins in Milan, and I will often fly there first. It is where I source inspiration and raw material, and confirm initial design sketches. I spent the good part of February in Milan doing just that. On February 27, I flew to Paris for market appointments. In the meantime, back in Shenzhen, what was supposed to be a well-deserved, celebratory two-week respite for my team quickly became a nightmare. I immediately advised my employees, regardless of whether they traveled within China or not, to stay home and not return to work until it was safe to do so. We made sure that all employees were paid during this time.

On March 1, we slowly began to return to work, albeit from home at first. Employees who had traveled back from lower-risk areas were asked to self-quarantine for seven days, while employees who returned from higher-risk areas were asked to self-quarantine for 14. Per the law, all employees took and passed the nucleic acid test and provided their health QR Codes—this is the government electronic health data on an individual—before they were allowed to work. Lastly, all employees were advised to practice social distancing, and work areas were constantly sanitized. Every employee is given six masks, and every day they have their temperatures taken, and their shoes and arms sprayed with alcohol before entering the office. They are also required to wear masks at all times for the safety of each other. By April 1, most of my employees in China had returned to work. My team in Milan and New York are currently working from home. The impact will only be fully known by the end of this epidemic.

My plan was to return from Paris to Milan on March 5 and fly back to China on March 8. However, things had escalated in Milan a few days before market appointments ended, and it became clear to me that I would have to adjust my travel. Italy had canceled flights to and from China, and many flights to China from elsewhere had already been canceled. With so many cities on lockdown, I wasn’t sure if I would be able to return home.

I was able to leave Paris for Shenzhen on March 6. I was immediately quarantined—especially since I had been in Milan within 14 days of arrival. I was traveling alone at the time and was allowed by the government to quarantine in my own apartment after signing a contract. They put a surveillance camera on my door to supervise me. I had my temperature taken by government-assigned health officials who came to my door every day at 9:30 a.m. and 3:30 p.m. to take my temperature and ensure I was not showing any symptoms. Community managers came by to deliver food and other necessities, as well as fruits as a gift.

This time of isolation and self-reflection had led me to find new ways to develop business strategies. I spent my time in isolation gathering inspiration for my spring 2021 collection and having virtual meetings with my teams and calls with clients. I also made sure to stay in touch with my friends and family. To strengthen my immune system, I practiced yoga and cooked healthy meals daily. I also deep-cleaned my apartment, which I don’t always have time to do. On the 15th day, I had my last checkup, and I signed another agreement. At my final checkup, the health officials sang me a celebratory song. After all, I had completed the government-mandated quarantine, as well as my spring 2021 collection designs and strategy.

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Overall, things are much more calm in China now. Many returned to work starting on February 20, and by March 1, most businesses were back in action. However, given the global nature of the pandemic, many companies are still affected, as we are unable to export goods. As for the illness itself, right now, there are few new domestic cases in China, as the government has been very strictly controlling the outbreak. Anyone who enters through airports is forced to quarantine for 14 days to ensure safety.

In these trying times, I am grateful for my team. Having an exceptional team enables me to manage them from afar. Design begins in Milan; Shenzhen manages the manufacturing process, where I oversee the team to ensure quality; and New York, our headquarters, is where sales are managed. Because the virus is contained in China, in Shenzhen, we are back at work and able to go right back into motion.

My team in Milan is greatly affected by the virus, and other than online, there is no way to conduct business. The city seems to be at the peak of the epidemic curve, and I’ve been told that we may not return to work until June, when the spring market season is mostly over. I assume that the manufacturing for our fall season might also be affected, and I must plan our dates accordingly. To mitigate the loss of our in-person meetings, we have been advised to shoot a video to introduce the newest collection to our Milanese clients who are not able to review the collections in person.

New York’s epidemic has just begun, and I am still trying to grasp a timeline for it. We have an exceptional sales team that typically travels around the country to understand the market and the needs of clients. Obviously, this has been impacted by the pandemic, so we have shifted gears. We began working with different sales teams and clients on selling collections on their online platforms to introduce new merchandise. We have been pushing our own e-commerce platform intensely and are fortunate to move our physical sales to online. I’m sure this shift will continue to be fruitful for our business.

The effects of COVID-19 will change how the global fashion industry conducts business. I believe the change will be a greater shift from physical to online, not only in retail, but on every level. I think businesses will allow for more flexibility to work from home with productive, problem-solving online meetings. The pandemic will sadly wipe out many businesses, but hopefully it will create space for other businesses to innovate. To alleviate the financial pressures, I plan to maintain strict control on merchandise quantity and control unnecessary spending. Having our own factory gives us better control over the quantity and quality of goods, and the flexibility with time to produce them. We are ready to develop and produce with very little lead time. We are also ready to expand our sales into different markets, either physically or virtually. I am also going to continue to nurture a strong and talented team. I am looking for quality employees over quantity. I believe the business will be affected in the coming years, and I will need to make sure my teams are well-balanced.

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Managing an independent fashion business is a dream that I’ve worked so hard to make come true—and the pandemic will not change that. I’ve built my team around the ideas of cooperation to reach goals together, and empower employees to find their own managing and problem-solving methods to reach our collective goals. I like having young talent at the company—they make me feel younger with their freshness and new ideas. They are often the ones who make me feel more creative and willing to take chances, even if I fail.

At the end of the day, I am grateful for everything that I do have. I have my health. My parents and siblings are all quarantined at home and are also healthy. My daughters, who flew back from Los Angeles to China on March 26, are currently quarantined but are doing well. I look forward to reuniting with them after their 14 days. Even a pandemic will come to an end.

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Everything is always in constant motion, and we will stand our ground in the face of turbulent change. I have 168 phenomenal colleagues across production, sales, and design teams who are also family to me. As long as we have our goals and a team, we will always find our way back to the right path and achieve our dreams.

Shop your closet for your next designer DIY, inspired by Dries Van Noten.

Maybe you sleep in it or maybe it’s reserved for only under sweaters, but your white tank top has been given a runway update this season thanks to Dries Van Noten’s Spring 2020 collection. This season was particularly special thanks to the brand’s collaboration with designer Christian Lacroix: the two great minds joined together for an extravagant collection with some surprisingly wearable pieces. Volume, bows and luxe embellishments were layered on top of jeans and simple white tanks, making this a collab we can easily get behind. Here, we’ve rounded up five key ways to take this wardrobe basic to cool new heights.

Click through for our top five tips:

It’s important we save medical masks for those on the front line.

Today, Canada’s chief public health officer Dr. Theresa Tam announced that wearing non-medical masks can help to stop the spread of COVID-19. In a press conference, Tam said, “Wearing a non-medical mask, even if you have no symptoms, is an additional measure that you can take to protect others around you” especially in places where social distancing is “difficult to maintain” such as on public transport or at the grocery store. She added that “wearing a non-medical mask can reduce the chance of your respiratory droplets coming into contact with others or landing on surfaces.” Tam was sure to emphasize however that wearing a mask does not mean you can “back off” social distancing measure, nor that you are fully protected from contracting the virus.

The new advice comes as more research emerges showing that some infected people who never have symptoms, or those who are yet to display symptoms (called asymptomatic and pre-symptomatic respectively) are able to transmit the virus.

Tam also urged that medical masks be left for those fighting on the front lines, and that Canadians should create their own masks using items they have at home. There are several tutorials floating around on Instagram already, including by Toronto-based influencers the Beckerman twins, as well as actress Kate Hudson. All you need to create a mask is a scarf, a bandana, a bed sheet or an old T-shirt, and two hair elastics/elastic bands. Just remember to wash the mask regularly after use.

Here’s how to make a DIY face mask at home:

There’s plenty of Canadian designers using sewing machines to make masks right now, too, including Dorian Who, Hilary MacMillan, Narces and more. If you’re handy with a sewing machine, we suggest keeping an eye on their Instagram pages as they share information about how they’re making their own masks at this time.

As we continue to face the COVID-19 pandemic, it’s important to stay up-to-date with the latest health warnings in Canada via reputable sources such as the Canadian government’s website. And remember to #stayathome as much as you can.

Here’s what we know so far.

Days after farewelling their roles as senior royals, Prince Harry and Meghan Markle have announced the first details about their new charitable organization. After reports leaked in the Daily Telegraph, the Sussexes confirmed that they are launching an organization called Archewell.

“Like you, our focus is on supporting efforts to tackle the global COVID-19 pandemic but faced with this information coming to light, we felt compelled to share the story of how this came to be,” they said in a statement.

The name Archewell, they explained, “is a name that combines an ancient word for strength and action, and another that evokes the deep resources we each must draw upon.” They also shared that they had the name ‘Arche’ ahead of Sussex Royal and that it served as the inspiration for their son’s name. “Before Sussex Royal, came the idea of Arche – the Greek word meaning source of action. We connected to this concept for the charitable organization we hoped to build one day, and it became the source of inspiration for our son’s name.” They added that they want “to do something of meaning, to do something that matters.”

According to the Telegraph, paperwork for the name was filed in the United States last month and includes a website, as well as “education and training materials” such as films, podcasts and books.

The pair shared no further news on the organization, but said, “We look forward to launching Archewell when the time is right.”

After officially stepping down from their royal roles last week, the Sussexes are currently spending time as a family in their new hometown of Los Angeles. Watch this space.