There are people out there who will tell you that my social media addiction, mostly Instagram, now aptly called “doomscrolling,” is exactly what it sounds like. Doom-filled. It affects my mood, my sleep, and my attention span. And these people would be correct. There are also people out there (me), who will tell you that my social media addiction is one of the few ways I am able to cope with the internal rage building daily through this second Trump administration. The lies, the damage to our country, the cover ups, the scandals. One of the only ways I can manage any of it is by finding voices of reason who are saying what I am thinking and using their power to speak truth to power. That is also correct. And it is one of the only things keeping this lady from crashing out, as my kids say.
This company got its start almost ten years ago on Instagram. And though we all lament those early days when connection felt easier and less commercial, I still find Instagram to be a place I can turn to for community. And yes, yes, I know that the people I follow and start to feel close to, people I have never met in real life, are not my “real” friends. But they're still important! They provide me with something my real friends do too. Connection, a feeling that the world is a little less dismal, camaraderie, and hope. They are also there for me at 2 a.m. when my friends are asleep. That being said, it is always surreal to meet an IG “friend” in real life after following them for years...
Kris and Dave came onto my radar, like I am sure many of you reading this, when their advocacy gained national attention after an online confrontation about their Pride decorations. They turned that moment into a platform for speaking out against hate and promoting their message of allyship. I stuck around following Kris and her journey restoring a historic home in Detroit. Chic!
To be honest, I'm not sure what exactly prompted me to email Kris at first. It started as a simple “hey can I send you a sweater?” I genuinely felt I owed her something for the breath of relief and light and perspective she was giving me on IG. After a couple of exchanges, I felt we should hop on a Zoom which we did only last week. It became clear within minutes that these were "our people." I felt like RIGHT NOW was the perfect moment to drop a collection with Kris and Dave, who I knew had a beloved following of like-minded people, because I was right there with them every day on her account. I just needed to get my team on board.
Let me tell you something. It is not easy dropping a surprise launch in the middle of Q4. But the team got on board quickly. How could they not? Didn't we all need something to galvanize us right now? Something that made us feel connected and remind us that there are good people out there who stand up against this craziness? A giant HUG from a couple like Kris and Dave?
Today we are beyond excited to launch the Kris and Dave (& Remington) collection.
20% of the proceeds from the collection will go to two local Detroit organizations that mean a great deal to Kris and Dave. Make Food Not Waste, which transforms would-be waste into nourishment while addressing climate change, sustainability, and food insecurity. And SWIRC, which provides pro bono and low-cost legal services that protect and empower Detroit’s immigrant and refugee communities.
Kris posted a teaser at 8 a.m. and it basically broke the internet. Well, at least my internet, which is made up of the same kind of readers as this newsletter. Talented, witty, smart, kind, caring humans who give a damn about the fate of our country and our communities.
My whole team has been overjoyed and so impressed with the response and is working like mad right now while I am writing this to shift inventory to this collection. I guess a surprise in Q4 is not such a bad idea after all! Let's Go!
I just finished Virginia Giuffre’s book, Nobody's Girl last night and am more outraged than ever. Tonight I get to meet THE E. Jean Carroll at a screening for her new documentary "Ask E. Jean." We have a fun partnership with her which was actually planned for Q4 and is up now to shop, and it will get its full moment later this week.
I am cautiously optimistic that these men in high places who did very bad things will get what is coming to them. I am prepared to get mad as hell again and again if they do not.
A follower of mine, with several friends in common and who appears to be a fancy Upper East Side art advisor, DM'ed me this comment yesterday:
“You need help. Your obsession with Trump belies serious mental illness.”
This was after I posted a series of stories highlighting Trump's deep Epstein ties. And despite her misuse of the word “belies” which, as my friend Bonnie Morrison pointed out, actually means “contradicts,” (so maybe she was unintentionally sending me affection? ha), it did make me stop and think.
Was I a crazy lady? Do I actually need real help?
Yes! I think we are all rightly going crazy right now! We are seeing with our own two eyes what Trump is and being told we are not to believe what our eyes and ears are clearly showing us. That what we see is not what is happening. IT'S MADDENING! Also, lady on my dm, do you think I WANT to be spending my time and talent commenting on this loser? I do NOT. I have never wanted to. I wish deeply that he were not the leader of the free world holding so much power over so many powerless people. I am deeply disturbed that millions of my fellow countrymen and women supported him and STILL DO support him even now.
Alas. This is what is happening. The personal is political. Period. It's making me crazy. I cannot wait to return to my obsessions of all the joyful things in life (do you guys remember when I made hundreds of paper flowers!?). Until then, I will keep looking for community wherever I can find it. It is part of my survival plan. Even if that means late night crazy scrolling. And I suppose, like Winston Churchill with alcohol, I have taken more out of Instagram than Instagram has taken out of me.
Now go out there and meet Kris and Dave (and their dog Remington). They are using their voices to resist the tyrants, yet they also feel like a giant warm hug wrapping around you while doing so. Stock up on their favorite sayings and go out and "have the day you deserve!"
xo Rachelle