I've started this letter and scrapped it more times than I can count at this
point — it's been a month of unprecedented upheaval in the world and
footwear business, and trying to figure out what we wanted to say with
this issue of the magazine has changed every day.
You may be finding the same. Every state and every community has
faced and is facing a different pictures when it comes to the rate of COVID-
19 infections in its area, the restrictions on business operations and the
pace of reopening — and, as the month has unfolded, everyone has been
waiting to see what comes next, how consumers react and what the long-
term effects will be.
Nationally — and in fact, internationally — the death of George Floyd in
Minneapolis has sparked protest and a reckoning across the board about
racism in today's society that footwear brands, retailers and individuals
have been grappling with, some in private and many in public.
All that seems clear is that the industry, and maybe more, is in a state of
transformation, and this is just the beginning. And that what's critical now is
showing up and putting in the work. We're here to do both along with you.
Putting in the Work
TIME OUT | JENNIFER ERNST BEAUDRY
4 • Footwear Insight ~ June 2020 footwearinsight.com