Luxury e-tailer The Modist closes amid the coronavirus pandemic ~ asman

Fri, 2020-04-03 10:40

DUBAI: Luxury modest wear e-tailer The Modist has closed down “its virtual doors,” founder Ghizlan Guenez announced on Instagram on Thursday.

The decision was made amid the ongoing global coronavirus pandemic.

“Unfortunately, whilst our plans and position were quite different only weeks ago, the global pandemic crisis that hit the world shifted our position entirely and rendered our young business very vulnerable, which left us with no choice but to cease operating and close down,” Guenez wrote.

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It’s a heavy day and I am sad to share that the brand and business (@themodist) that we built with so much passion, hard work and perseverance is closing its virtual doors today. Unfortunately, whilst our plans and position were quite different only weeks ago, the global pandemic crisis that hit the world shifted our position entirely and rendered our young business very vulnerable, which left us with no choice but to cease operating and close down. As an entrepreneur, you start a business with explosive optimism, passion, excitement and a clear vision of where you want to go with your idea. You take risks, sometimes disproportionate to the potential reward, but that is what the fabric of entrepreneurs is made up of: faith, passion, vision, resilience and the ability to keep going against all odds. You don’t however truly plan for a day when you see the “lights switch off”. But when you start a business with a purpose like The Modist, which was built on values of celebrating women’s choices, diversity and inclusion, breaking stereotypes and putting a stick in the ground in the space of modesty, you find solice in the fact that whilst the business no longer exists, its impact is everlasting and the conversations that it created will have played a role in changing mindsets. This is why whilst this is a very difficult day for those of us who were part of building it, our comfort lies in the fact that the journey of building The Modist with all its milestones is as important as the destination it was aiming to reach. There aren’t enough words to describe how inspiring our community of women (and men) has been. I truly hope that this community continues the conversation on important values and that players in the fashion industry and beyond continue to carry the flag of what is important: inclusion, innovation, diversity, sustainability and all the other topics that are relevant today more than ever. I want to thank each and every person who touched our journey no matter how small or large their contribution to The Modist was. I especially want to thank my incredible team, some of whom have been on this journey since day 1, for the passion, (continuation below)

A post shared by Ghizlan Guenez غزلان ڤنّز (@ghizlan_guenez_) on Apr 2, 2020 at 11:11am PDT

The Modist, launched in 2017, was built on values of celebrating women’s choices, diversity and inclusion, breaking stereotypes and putting a stick in the ground in the space of modesty, according to Guenez.

“I truly hope that this community continues the conversation on important values and that players in the fashion industry and beyond continue to carry the flag of what is important: inclusion, innovation, diversity, sustainability and all the other topics that are relevant today more than ever,” the founder of the Dubai and London-based e-commerce shop added.