l'Orafo Italiano Magazine Nov/Dic 2020 Zurück Ausgabe

We say goodbye, certainly without any nostalgia, to the annus horribilis 2020. We don’t know how the new year will be, but we would like to try and imagine it with a bit of trust and optimism: because, as always in the worst moments of our history, we are certain our sector will find the way to “turn problems into opportunities”, to use a somewhat cliché expression, which however is truer than ever now; using the same weapons we have always used - craftsmanship, creativity, pioneering spirit - and indeed adding new ones. The pandemic has, in fact, speeded up processes which were already around: digitalisation, e-commerce, technological innovation, a new way of communicating and keeping up a dialogue with a consumer who is increasingly demanding quality, transparency, sustainability, impeccable and customised service - offline and online - from brands. It is no longer a matter of abstraction or goals which can be postponed. Now it is a question of values which are seen as fundamental by a community growing every day, in every corner of the planet. What is of the essence for companies and stores is speed and the capacity to adapt to a world which has suddenly become more “local” - temporarily, considering the halt to intercontinental travel - but is in any case fated to go back to being global: with shops, physical spaces and moments of face-to-face engagement, all of which have however to be rethought, making use of what we have been living through these months, and also in view of the new expectations and sensitivity, especially, of the younger generations. 2021 is not starting under a very auspicious star, however it could, out of mere necessity, bring with it an end to the traditional fragmentation of the sector, a “revolution” in the name of the new technologies, modern and inclusive formulas for communicating which can involve tomorrow’s consumer. In this way, it might be remembered as the year of a true new reset.