Most of the world has been in lockdown for over a month now due to the COVID-19 crisis. A moment frozen in time, when people are faced with solitude, grief or anxiety and see their daily lives shift for the better or the worse. In this time of extreme uncertainty, we can also take the time to reflect, create and enjoy the passing of these strange elastic days. We thought it would be interesting to ask artists around the globe how their creative process has changed during the quarantine and if it has been an inspiring or rather daunting experience… with a quick snapshot of themselves in lockdown. Today we meet with Léa Dickely and Hung La, the mysterious duo behind Kwaidan Editions. The young label refers to the 1964 Japanese fantasy film Kwaidan, which tells ghost stories from traditional Japanese folklore. A love for horrific, icy images and the mystery of theaters that can be seen from the very first collection of designers that passed through the Royal Academy of Antwerp. One is French and made her mark as a textile and print designer with Rick Owens, Alexander McQueen and Balmain. The other is American-Vietnamese and trained at Balenciaga and Céline. In turn, Nicolas Ghesquière, Alexander Wang and Phoebe Philo left indelible traces in his way of designing collections. It is on the strength of their multiple experiences in major fashion houses that the duo decided to launch out with a clear vision of what Kwaidan Editions stands for. A brand with recognizable aesthetic choices, which displays a minimalism and simplicity of 90s cuts mixed with a cinematographic futurism and touches of saturated colors. Discover how they are spending their days lately.

How has your daily life changed since lockdown began?

Time slowed down. We stayed busy the first couple of weeks, but after a while we couldn’t see any shapes or fabrics and things shifted from design to longer term strategy. There is less immediate stress, beyond staying healthy and safe but instead, a more latent and deep uncertainty of the aftermath. In regards to the quarantine itself, this way of life is not so unusual for us, as we already spent every minute of the day with each other before all this started. ☺

Have you had to rethink the way you create?

In a way we are grateful for this time, as it allows us to slow down and look at our work with some distance and where we want to go next, depending on what the future holds. We realize how fast and manic everything was before all this started, and this is allowing us to take a deep breath, which was very much needed.

Did you realize anything in particular during this time?

Maybe we already missed certain things in our lives before all this started: being more connected to nature, making more space for ourselves, cook more, listen to more music…

Do you feel more inspired or paralyzed by the lockdown?

Every day is different. Some days it feels like there is no tomorrow and it feels very discouraging and frightening. Other days it feels like this is a wonderful opportunity to reinvent everything. This emotional rollercoaster is pretty exhausting though; at least we can go through it together.

Have you started or returned to any activities that you do not normally have time to do?

Yes, a lot more meditation and taking care of our bodies and souls.

What do you think you’ll take away from this shutdown?

Appreciation for small things, gratitude for all the good things in our lives, going deep.

Are you worried?

Sometimes. There is just so much uncertainty and actually a lot of time to reflect on everything.

How do you see life after this crisis?

The proportions of this human and economic catastrophe are yet to be fully comprehended, and it will take years to recover. The next few years are going be tough. Hopefully good things will come out of this, and we will all look at these difficult times as a challenge to humanity and a test to our values and actions, that perhaps need reassessing.