"Be grateful, Natalija. Now! Be grateful." I can't shake these words or the moment from my mind. It was a chilly day in Costa Rica, and I was with my best friend, Marija, at Tabacón, near the Arenal Volcano. As we soaked in the hot springs, surrounded by the beauty of nature, she kept reminding me to be thankful.

How swiftly the tides can turn in this industry! I must admit, I had a goal for the platform we’d been cultivating for years. While I always recognized its significance for growth and connections, my thoughts were predominantly centered on one pressing question: what else does the industry need?

The last two weeks of September have been a whirlwind, starting in London and sweeping right into Milan. Officially, I was there for meetings — both with up-and-coming labels and established brands — but really, the pulse of Milan Fashion Week was impossible to resist. London has its own charm