Times are a Changing

Things are changing. Besides the obvious going on around us, the underlying changes have really hit me these past couple of months (maybe why we’ve been very quiet as a brand). I’m normally one who is evasive to change, it’s hard and takes time, but this change has been welcomed. I actually caught myself thinking: daph.’s chapter 2 is starting.

It’s been hard to get to this point. Full transparency, there have been many late-night crying sessions full of frustration, annoyance, anger and I’ll admit I even said to myself maybe it’s time to quit. I debated with myself whether to share all this, as much to my (happy) surprise a lot of our community reads my blog posts, and I didn’t want to seem weak or share “too much” or not seem dedicated, but like I said, I’ve been doing a lot of thinking lately…

Reluctantly I’ve come to the realization that a lot of daph. is me, Daphne. I am the creator of daph. My ideas have become reality and many women’s go-to bags. I am the one shipping out the orders, posting on social, standing behind our show table at pop ups, it’s me. And whether it’s quarantine or just that we’ve been in business for a bit now, I have been fighting  to separate myself from the brand. There’s so much more to me than a designer. Some designs I create I don’t absolutely love; I keep learning about sustainability, but sometimes forget my recyclable bag when at the grocery store; and my name is Daphne not daph! In fact, I am always reminded by my college friends about a time when an acquaintance accidentally called me Daph and I was outraged!

But as time has passed and I’ve truly put thought into this topic, I’ve come to the realization that I am Daphne and daph. and I’m so lucky for that. How fortunate am I that I can be my authentic self, create products I stand behind and share my entrepreneurial journey with people who not only support it, but also want to listen, share, question and support me and my brand. So instead of trying to separate myself from the brand I’m going all in, again. Instead of worrying about everything that could go wrong or how many no’s I’ll hear, I’m going to focus on all the awesome opportunities I’ve had, the amazing people I’ve met and learned from and continue to be inspired by my surroundings while listening to the community.

I'm excited for chapter 2 and trying to patiently wait for samples for our next collection coming out this Fall. Unlike in the past, I will be sharing much more: more sneak peaks, more polls, more times of me trying to model pieces (hah!) and more excitement! We're changing things up and with that it means saying goodbye to some of our favorites and turning the page to a more diverse product offering in more neutral tones and wardrobe essentials...stay tuned!