Fire Damage

December 28th, 2023 – New York City, NY

On November 13th, we watched helplessly as our office burned down.

For the past month, our small family has been in a transient state. During New York's largest of recent fires, 18 occupancies were destroyed. There were over 120 firefighters on the scene, and yet no salvation in site. What started as an electrical fire in one unit (likely caused by poor building management from our landlord) cascaded into full-blown building destruction. We feel a great surge of hope and gratitude when we think back on how few people were home during the fire. It was an inexplicable streak of luck. 

While all tenants have been displaced, miraculously, no one was seriously injured amidst the chaos.

For us, much was lost- mainly in the form of material goods and our temporary equilibrium. Samples, fabric, computers: gone. Strange enough, what has affected us most is not having the crucial shared space to return to. While that sense of routine and comfort is missed dearly, we are finding strength in the blank slate. Prior to our displacement, we had many questions and crossroads encircling our heads, and now we have the flexibility to attack those with a greater purity.

1) Rebirth

Multiple styles and projects that we were developing for end-of-year and 2024 must be re-evaluated. On one hand, this adjustment creates significant financial struggle on top of the unavoidable destruction to office property. But on the other, we are now forced to refine and perfect ideas. In the new year, we'll be introducing a super-sized Tsuno Bag, our first pair of sneakers, and a community dye program. The latter, titled Garment Rebirth, is all about bringing preloved garments back to life which is oh-so-serendipitous with our current situation.

2) Office vs. Workshop

Over the past year, we've been considering expanding our office to become more suited for patternmaking, cutting, and sewing. New York City real estate forces small businesses and artists to live among their work and to focus more on the immaterial or digital. Currently, we cut fabric on the floor, hoard patterns in the nooks and crannies of the space, and use domestic sewing machines and irons. The dream of a work shop space capable of design and production may finally come to fruition.

3) Consumer Commodities

The habits and space-utility of garment construction aren't the only things in question; we've also been researching the variable of supply chain location in consumer preference. In the coming months, we are restructuring the way a Ground Cover design concept is introduced, purchased, and utilized. This realignment may very well be easier to execute given our newfound open book.

Fire, while destructive, can be a cleansing force and is a great harbinger of growth.

Looking towards the natural world, we find fire creating both devastation and regeneration. When a forest is burned, the soil experiences renewal allowing for a plethora of new life to spring forward. This thought process, which others nature, is one step removed. We are a part of the ecosystem, and while there are nuances to our self-conscious approach to material goods, habits, and identity, we believe fire is a simple thing and can lead to a spiritual/natural/human renewal.

We want to thank you for all of your love during this uncertain time. We feel blessed to explore these passions freely and will continue to do so relentlessly.

Our best,
GROUND COVER