Our Story
DESPITE. — Our Story
Comfort for what comes next.
DESPITE. wasn't born in a boardroom. It wasn't created because I saw a gap in the clothing market or because I wanted to start another brand. It came at a point when my life had fallen apart.
I had built a business and a life I loved. Then it all came apart at the hands of someone I trusted. I watched almost everything disappear.
My business. My home. The things I worked so hard for. My children's dreams. My security. The life I thought I was going to have.
That afternoon, I looked at my bank account and had $54. And I didn't know what I was supposed to do next.
One night, a song caught me off guard. I don't know why that particular song hit me when it did, but it did. And for the first time in a long time, I prayed.
I didn't ask to get everything back. Not the house. Not the things I worked so hard for. Not the life I had before. I just asked for an answer. What am I supposed to do now?
I had lost all hope — for my future, my family, my hopes and dreams. Every plan I'd carried was gone.
The next morning, I woke up with one word in my head.
DESPITE.
And that's all it meant, at first: despite all of it, I woke up and I had another day. Maybe some people will call the rest coincidence. Maybe it was. But I had asked for an answer, and it was the first one I'd felt like I'd gotten in a very long time. So I'm going with it. You can call it whatever you want. I just call it the morning.
What DESPITE. means
DESPITE. isn't about pretending bad things don't happen. They do.
Sometimes your plans completely fall apart. Sometimes people disappoint you. Sometimes you fail. Sometimes you lose. Sometimes life changes so quickly you barely recognize it. And sometimes there isn't a beautiful explanation for why any of it happened.
But there is still a next morning. You still have to decide what you're going to do with it.
That's the space DESPITE. lives in.
Not before the hard thing. Not even necessarily during it. After.
When you don't have everything figured out. When you're rebuilding. When you're laughing again even though things still aren't perfect. When you're drinking your coffee, putting on something ridiculously comfortable, and getting on with your life.
Anyway.
The unfinished sentence
DESPITE...
That's why we leave the sentence unfinished. Because mine isn't yours.
Despite losing everything.
Someone else's might be:
Despite the divorce.
Despite getting fired.
Despite failing.
Despite being told no.
Despite starting over.
Despite having other plans.
Despite absolutely no idea what I'm doing.
Despite Monday.
Despite the group chat.
Despite everything.
Some stories are devastating. Some are ridiculous. Some are just a rotten Tuesday. They all belong here.
You finish the sentence.
Why the clothes are happy
We've already lived the dark part.
There's a reason DESPITE. isn't black clothing covered in sad sayings. We've already lived the dark part. This is what comes next.
Colour. Stripes. Hearts. Patches. Big ridiculous comfortable sweatpants. Things that make you smile. Things that don't take themselves too seriously. Clothes you can disappear into on the hard days and feel incredible in on the good ones.
Because rebuilding doesn't have to look miserable. And surviving something doesn't mean you have to wear it forever.
GOOD DAYS TOO.
That's not a promise that everything magically gets better. It's a reminder not to miss them when they come.
The DESPITE. language
These aren't just graphics anymore. Each one has a job.
DESPITE.
The beginning of the sentence. The customer finishes it.
ANYWAY...
Maybe the most important word after DESPITE. It happened. I'm going anyway.
HAD OTHER PLANS.
Because most of us did.
GOOD DAYS TOO.
Because the hard days aren't the only days.
SAME GIRL. DIFFERENT DAYS.
Circumstances change. You don't have to lose yourself with them.
COMFORT FOR WHAT COMES NEXT.
The product promise and, underneath it, the entire philosophy.
The manifesto
We had other plans.
Of course we did.
We thought we'd know where we were going. We thought some things would last forever. We thought some people would stay. We thought we'd have more time. We thought we'd have it figured out by now.
Life had other plans.
So here we are. A little bruised. A little wiser. Occasionally held together by caffeine and an oversized sweatshirt.
Still laughing. Still dreaming. Still becoming. Still here.
We don't believe everything happens for a reason. We don't believe you have to be grateful for the things that hurt you. And we definitely don't believe you need to have everything figured out before you start again.
We just believe there is still something after.
Another morning. Another idea. Another chance. Another version of you that you haven't met yet.
So wear the pink.
Buy the ridiculous pants.
Order the coffee.
Take the picture.
Start the thing.
Change your mind.
Try again.
Have the good day when it comes.
And when life inevitably has other plans?
Go anyway.
DESPITE.
Comfort for what comes next.
Anyway... ♡
Made properly.
Had other plans. ♡
Heavyweight fleece that keeps its shape. Chenille patches sewn on, not printed. Sweatpants cut in 32", 34" and 36" inseams because tall women deserve a hem that reaches the floor.
