April Editorial

And now we begin again: to dream, to make plans, and above all to think positively, because we are facing a milestone phase of our lives. After a year of stillness and suffering, we have the unique opportunity to change our lives for the better, but only if everyone, without exception, commits to doing so: we find ourselves with an extraordinary chance to rebuild a different future for ourselves and our children, without repeating the mistakes of the past. In what way? Here are some examples. We had forgotten that we were so vulnerable, and yet pandemics happen; however, the fight against Covid has created a network of knowledge that has led science to make progress in every field: a vaccine obtained in a few months, the collaboration of doctors worldwide, the sharing of discoveries, and the certainty of being globally connected. Research will heal us: do we want to invest more funds and aid to never find ourselves unprepared again?

Always connected but isolated, closed off, almost invisible and often depressed: teenagers have lost a piece of their youth, leaning their fragility onto their parents. But from the difficulties of remote learning, a revolution in education has begun. Properly supported by technology, it will allow for more personal relationships during in-person meetings with professors, aiming for a tailor-made education for each student. Above all, the challenge and hope are to retain our graduates in Italy by offering them well-paid jobs instead of forcing them to seek fortune abroad.

Another significant challenge concerns women: they were the most penalized during the pandemic but also the toughest—data shows that worldwide, they have managed to launch new careers thanks to the possibilities offered by the digital world. The number of web-based companies has grown enormously, and female-led businesses have higher success rates, especially in online sales. Isn’t it time to help women stop having to choose between children and career, and to ensure they are no longer humiliated by lower salaries while holding the same positions as men?

The pandemic is teaching us to live differently and has definitively clarified that our well-being cannot be separated from the well-being of our planet. Everyone, without exception, must adapt to this, just as the best professionals in many economic fields are doing, leading by example despite the hardships they have endured. Think of restaurateurs and the future challenge in the kitchen, which is to demonstrate that one can eat well while respecting the environment and people. Or think of architecture, home, and design: the goal from now on will be to create spaces and objects that last over time, repairing things to make them as good as new. Creating products that have a long life and are recyclable is the path toward sustainability.

Fashion, too, can be reborn and restart only if it understands and reconciles the real needs of people and the environment. Today, major brands are stepping up to help the vaccination campaign by offering their spaces to doctors and nurses. Starting with Giorgio Armani, who was the first to declare exactly one year ago: let’s stop the shows, let’s slow down the collections, we are producing too much and too fast. Today, he reiterates with great wisdom that fashion must find its heart again; it must do fewer things and do them better, to respect both the environment and the consumer, who has become responsible and demanding. Never forget to read the labels inside the clothes you buy; only then will you discover what materials are used and how the garments are produced.

And you will be able to choose consciously. For us at Crida, since the beginning of our adventure—born shortly before the pandemic—this has always been an essential commitment: using natural fabrics, producing in Italy, and respecting the environment and people. No economic activity today can fail to meet this commitment. Just as no company can ignore corporate social responsibility and must invest a small part of its profits into charitable activities.

“Beauty will save us” is not just a cliché; it is a truth deeply linked to the special place we are lucky enough to live in: Italy. Our country founds its identity on art, culture, and the extraordinary beauty of its landscape. This is our gold, our oil, the unique heritage we possess and upon which we must focus to be reborn. We must protect, preserve, and enhance it to restore our country’s role as the cradle of art, history, and archaeology, but also of cinema and theater, when tourists finally return.

Let us defend our rights and do so with the tools that move fast today: social networks. They saved us from the boredom of many months locked at home, allowing us to stay connected and dialogue with the world. But we know well that they can do much more and become vital tools for launching battles against inequality and in favor of the most vulnerable, as well as providing opportunities for young people to show their talents and for creating free and correct information.

What is needed, then, to win the challenge of change? Commitment first and foremost—no one can opt out. Unity will certainly be the push for a new future, but two other ingredients are needed that transcend professional expertise and concern the nature of each of us: industriousness and solidarity. These are the characteristics I found and admired in the people of my city, Bergamo—the place in the world hardest hit by Covid (yes… more than Wuhan, China, where it all began)—and which produced the fundamental turning point. Never give up or lose heart even in the face of the worst calamities; roll up your sleeves and move forward. And help one another. Only in this way has Bergamo, after mourning its 6,000 dead, already laid the foundations for rebirth, looking to the future—so much so that it was proclaimed the 2023 Capital of Culture along with Brescia. I am certain that Italy can do the same.

It has all the potential and, above all—I am sure of it—it has a big heart.