Lessons from the Covid-19 crisis

It's true that the COVID-19 health crisis is an event that's difficult to anticipate because it's an external fact that we have little or no control over. Unlike the previous article , which covered what we've been through step by step, today we're going to explain the lessons we've learned from such a crisis.

Introduction

It is in these moments that, as entrepreneurs, we must know how to be flexible to adapt to the situation of the moment and resilient so as not to let ourselves be overcome by this situation, however difficult it may be.

As soon as the lockdown was announced:

• We immediately tried to accurately assess the delay we were going to experience in order to best inform our customers who had pre-ordered their playsuits.
• We continued to ensure deliveries throughout France.
• We have postponed the release of our new playsuits and have therefore reorganized all the photo shoots necessary for the presentation of these new products.

Additionally, while we had planned to participate in various events throughout France (as we discussed in the previous article), we had to revise our entire sales strategy to focus on sales from our website. This is not ideal for a brand like Ludis, which offers a completely new garment, because online, a visitor will have less of an idea than if they have the opportunity to try on one of our playsuits in a physical store.

After this eventful summer, it is now time to take advantage of this calmer period to learn the lessons it has taught us.

Ludis's weakness

Ludis's main weakness at the moment is its seasonality. Indeed, a playsuit is an outfit that is worn in the summer, and therefore the months of May to September are crucial for us because they correspond to our peak season. The problem is that when a crisis like the one we are experiencing occurs, the models that should normally be available in May are not available until August (as we explained previously). The peak season therefore becomes shorter and de facto very complicated.

But how do we cope? The solution lies in the brand's goal: INNOVATE. Since the beginning of the project, we have been thinking about a winter product, a sweater/pants combination that would meet the criteria we have always set: new, practical, and comfortable. To bring this new product to life in winter 2021, we have surrounded ourselves with Alice, who joined us on October 26th as part of her Graphic Design and Design degree. Alice will bring a fresh perspective and ideas that will complement our own so that the Research & Development process can begin in November.

However, we won't be alone in developing this new product because we're going to need your help. As has been the case since the beginning of the Ludis project, we've made a habit of consulting you for the creation of our new collections and we'll continue to do so for the creation of this winter product. We'll always try to release products that suit you and if you have any ideas, don't hesitate to leave them in the comments. 😉

The strength of Ludis

Our main strength is our values . Since the outbreak of the health crisis, some French people have begun to reconsider their lifestyles and are increasingly turning towards local production, which is more respectful of the environment. This crisis therefore reinforces our conviction that French manufacturing and ethical fashion are synonymous with common sense and that it is time for all French people to be made aware of this. We explained our mission here, and we will continue to follow the path we have taken to achieve our objectives. Of course, everything is not perfect yet and we have already targeted our areas for improvement on this subject:

• Find a separable zipper made in France
• Find GOTS certified fabrics or use recycled fabrics

We are therefore working to consolidate our strength and further assert our values, which are truly the keystone of the Ludis project.

The other strength we have identified, we talked about it in the introduction, is trying on a playsuit. Every time someone tries one of our playsuits, they are so satisfied that they never want to take it off. This is why we must first do as many events as possible (like Pop-Up Stores for example) to present and have people try our concept . At the same time, we must find independent retailers who share the same values ​​as us to distribute our playsuits so that everyone can try our playsuits even when we are not there. Finally, we have a little surprise for you so that everyone can try on a playsuit without leaving their home! 🤫

Conclusion

Here are the lessons we've learned from the COVID-19 health crisis. This situation has allowed us to accelerate the process of creating a winter product because it has allowed us to clearly identify that we were too dependent on the summer season. Moreover, it has also allowed us to reaffirm that our values ​​are the right ones and that we must strengthen them by working on targeted areas for improvement. Finally, we have adapted our sales strategy to allow as many people as possible in France to try our playsuits.

If you have any questions or would like to respond to this article, we are happy to hear from you in the comments section.

See you soon

Mathias & Lucas 🐍

Also read: 2020 review at Ludis