While, according to LaPointe, the pandemic hasn’t influenced a change in her forthcoming collection per se, she says that she is more “focused on simplifying and scaling back.” She adds, “I have always had a message about being direct and to the point, and now more than ever this is important, I think, in all aspects of life.” She is, for instance, very direct in saying that, while the retail model has served the brand well in the past, it’s not entirely working in its current state — something that many independent designers in the industry have expressed prior to the pandemic but even more so during it. “This is obviously a complex issue affecting all sides of the industry. We wouldn’t be where we are without our retail partners, but everyone acknowledges that some things need to change,” she says. “On our side, we’ve been really focused on looking closely at the delivery calendar and designing collections to better align with the actual season and what customers need at that moment.”