My thoughts..
I wasn’t totally sure if I wanted to write a blog post on this or not, mostly because I wouldn’t want anyone to think I’m leveraging a suicide to the benefit of my business. That is absolutely not my intention. But after a lot of thought and consideration, my heart felt pulled to do so.
Kate Spade has been a name I’ve heard my entire life. I grew up in Kansas City, where Kate was from, and I remember hearing about her as a little girl. A Kansas City girl who made it in the big city. She was taking over the fashion world and making some major strides in the accessory market.
She was the type of person I dreamt about becoming. Not only was she from Kansas City working in fashion, creating her own designs and executing them, but because her and her husband were doing it together. They did whatever it took to make it happen. And if there is one thing to know about me, I am a sucker for an entrepreneur success story but an even bigger sucker for a love story. She had both.
Before, I even touch on the topic of mental health. I just want to address what an inspiration, visionary and trailblazer she was. Did you know her first line of purses was actually made out of burlap?! Because it was the only fabric she could source affordably and timely?! I want to praise her and thank her for all the inspiration she has given me and I want her to be remembered for the years of thought, hard work and creativity she put into building the incredible brand of Kate Spade. A Mental Illness should not take away from any of that.
Now, on to the topic of mental health. This story is such a reminder that mental illness does not discriminate. You don’t know the darkness that hides in so many of us. And this is something The Always Coco Collection has felt called to address. As most of you know The Always Coco Collection is an advocate for Mental Health Awareness. (If you’re interested in reading more about our involvement visit our charity page.) And the reason it was so important for me to do this was to be apart of helping prevent endings to stories like Kate’s.
So many of us hide. We hide behind our jobs, our material goods, our fake smiles – we hide behind our pretty clothes and the beautiful brands we’ve created for everyone else. And while I want my brand to be beautiful, happy and motivating I also want my brand to serve as a reminder that our mental health needs to be addressed. That is, needs to be taken care of. I want “the Always Coco Collection” to serve as a reminder that this is a real and honest struggle. A reminder that a lot of us are sick. A lot of us feel dark . But also a reminder that you don’t need to be scared to address it. And a reminder that YOU are not alone. You are never alone. We are in this together to remind one another of our strength, the beauty in our simplest moments and the beauty of simply being ALIVE.
(National Suicide Hotline tel:1-800-273-8255)
Lisa Seaman says
BEAUTIFUL!!! THANK YOU for sharing your thoughts. I love you!