This email is being written from Patine Studio, where there's a palpable buzz of excitement over the arrival of a stunning prototype coat for the fall season. The music drifting from the ground-floor shop barely manages to drown out the peals of laughter. In short, the atmosphere is dreadful, as usual.

Mood forecast: bright sunshine, with a few scattered clouds. Short-lived tornadoes.

The official launch of the Patine fundraising campaign is imminent; it's taking up a large part of my days and sometimes even keeping me up at night. But we're holding on because we know that Patine is only at the very beginning.
With you as shareholders in the brand, we will make Patine proof that it is possible to succeed economically, creatively, and with very strong impact commitments. A good sign: the press is talking more and more about Patine, there was this article in Konbini! In good news, I was invited to speak on Thursday at the Grand Rex in front of 250 professionals from the creative industries. The topic was "COOL & RESPONSIBLE, HOW TO USE IT," organized by the consulting agency NellyRodi, which presented its manifesto for "sustainable desirability": combining pleasure and responsibility, without opposing them ❤️.
There can be no impact without a healthy company that finances its impactful growth projects. Behind the beautiful facade, there's Excel and math.

So, nothing is guaranteed yet, but we're making progress! Almost 500 of you have already submitted an investment intention, thank you. If you'd also like to subscribe to Patine shares, you can create your application and submit your intention to be ready to go when trading opens!

Forever young or Never too old?

Last Sunday was my birthday, and for as long as I can remember, I've never liked "getting older," even as a teenager. It has nothing to do with wrinkles, but rather with the fear of waste. I think I've always been acutely aware that time slips through your fingers faster than mozzarella on pizza. What's changed since I was 17, or even 25, is taking action. Striving each day to use the past—the lessons learned, the connections I've made with others, and my jam-making culture—while projecting myself into the future, and remaining curious and engaged with the challenges of the present. Of course, I still sometimes scroll with delight through the pages of retinol creams from Ohmycream, and I'd love to be able to dance all night before waking up fresh as a daisy. But my fountain of youth is Patine!
It's exactly the same for Patine's age. All the experience we've accumulated over our seven years in business, the commitment to taking our time, to building friendships that are brand ambassadors rather than focusing on influence by the pound, to well-constructed garments rather than monthly drop collections... I think of marathons, long-distance running, figuratively speaking of course, since I'm really terrible at sports. I think of the Lemaire fashion house, which exploded onto the scene after 20 years of more discreet and meticulous work; I think of the sublime Violette, who shines with her style as she approaches 50; I also think of Cher, of course; I think of our friend Kimberly Drew, who's going back to school to learn when she could be teaching herself. I'm almost looking forward to being 75 and walking around in my Patine coat from September 2025. Almost :)

(Re)Read

In recent weeks I've been reading "People's Money" by Thomas Baumgarter, a political essay that interweaves testimonies about the relationship to money of a multimillionaire, an online poker player, and a woman on welfare. It's refreshing to read a book that doesn't speak for people; it's always beneficial to go back to the source.
I also read the brilliant graphic novel Grandeur & Décadence by Liv Stromquist, a humanist and hilarious manifesto on the ravages of neo-liberalism, so useful in these troubled times.
I reread pages from a little book by Florent Bussy about William Morris (he's the one who created the Morris columns), it's called La vie belle & créatrice (The Beautiful & Creative Life), he was a precursor of degrowth and ethical business in the 19th century, he said "Have nothing in your home that you do not know to be useful or that you do not believe to be beautiful". Okay.

(Postpone

What I'm currently wearing all the time—and all equally, the fashion class would tell them, "Very good, keep it up, continue your efforts"—is my Wide Leg Brenda with cowboy boots, the black Power skirt and the black long-sleeved tops again and again with lace tights and chunky ankle boots. The heathered gray Wooly Merino sweater (in M/L) with long Willie sneakers that I let peek out. The multicolor boxy Willie sneakers.
My black cap :)