A Letter from Cassandra
A Letter from Cassandara – December 18th, 2020
How do you even begin unpacking and reflecting on the most unexpected year—at least in my lifetime—ever?! While all of us likely experienced different highs and lows, I imagine a through line of 2020 will be that we all did exactly nothing that we planned for. So, for starters, I began my year moving from Seattle to London, only to find myself living nomadically after the outset of the pandemic, finally landing back in Los Angeles.
Also, I am one of many who had every job cancelled and had to reimagine just about every aspect of my life. The term “reimagine” seems to keep coming up. Time and again this year, so many of us have had to return to a blank canvas.
2020 was a year I spent a record amount of time with my family. So, I transitioned clients to a more elevated, online platform that was featured in Vogue. I became a fashion designer and created a website that’s a destination for conscious shopping. And, I am most proud of the integrity I cultivated this year, working to create a business rooted in substance and ethics.
So, writing this letter, I am taking a concerted effort to reflect, breathe, and evolve.
Also, I am extremely grateful for a year of grounding and diving deeper into my goals and impact. 2020 will forever be a year of unpacking social and ecological issues and working to understand what it means to build a business that is truly inclusive. So, I hope my new normal continues to keep me uncomfortable and striving for a deeper understanding.
I am continuously working towards cultivating a like minded community that challenges and supports me. And, I firmly believe being a stylist in 2020 means being resource driven. Also, it means focusing on what I consider the “three e’s”of sustainability; ethic, economics, and environment in every collaboration. In an effort to drive action and share knowledge, I want to round out the year by sharing three ways to activate this knowledge.
1. Gift Offsets
- Our suggested gift for anyone special in your life is to purchase a carbon offset. “An offset, in its general sense, is a reduction of greenhouse emissions in order to balance emissions elsewhere; the optimistic idea here being that you can erase your carbon footprint consciously. You buy that plane ticket and you purchase an offset, thereby cancelling out your footprint and you get to enjoy a guilt-free trip to Italy.” Read our easy how to for this thoughtful gift for the holidays and beyond.
2. Clothing Donation
- Consider donating your extra clothing to a shelter near you this year. So, this is an easy way to give back and know that your clothing is getting a second life for someone in need. Also, make sure to call ahead to confirm the center you choose is accepting donations.
3. Support Brands that are Changing the Game
- Follow along on the journey with our featured brand of the year—Public Habit. They are a brand rooted in transparency and ethics, a model for evolving brands and designers alike. So, they are truly leaders in the space of creating a brand that challenges the traditional, wasteful supply chain.
Activating simple methods of changing habits will be our continued mission next year. Also, I look forward to more thoughtful transformations with all of you next year. With the right knowledge and resources, the only way to go from here is up!
