holidays and health update

Hello to you all!

First and foremost I would like to thank all of you who have reached out over the last several weeks and months with beautiful messages and heartfelt communications and to all of you who have generously donated to the GFM (link at bottom).
If I have not yet responded know that I am truly touched by you - I have read every message but have also had limited capacity (overwhelmed in a beautiful way) to reply to each and every one of you. Please trust that in my heart I have held space for you but may be unable to reply. I hope that you can feel the warmth I send your way.

I had hoped to get this out a couple of weeks ago but there were too many moving parts and something had to give. A huge thank you to Lili Yakub who set up the GFM ;) It was not an easy decision to make but I am so grateful for her insistence. Lili knows all too well the challenges of this situation - she has lovingly stepped in to be my mentor and without her I would feel rather lost. We can never really predict how we will feel and/or behave when something like this happens to us. There is a profoundly beautiful sisterhood around me.

Secondly - I start my radiation treatment in a week. To the day.
I was originally set for January but just recently I was called to confirm my start date as 12 December and will finish in 4 weeks (allowing for small adjustments as there are holidays within that time).
This is a very challenging time of the year at the best of time - adding radiation treatment that requires me to be away from the studio has been a bit stressful I will not lie.
It’s a logistical nightmare to be quite honest.
We have a lovely team of seamstresses as well as volunteers and friends who are helping us get through this stretch and without the feeling of group cohesion I don’t know what we would do ;)

December atelier hours:

OPEN // 12 - 5
7 December
8 December
>> 9 December * special hours 10 - 4 * and my last day of work until the new year <<
16 December * final atelier day before we close for the holidays *

Please note that Jesse and our team will be working in the studio finishing up orders, shipping orders, answering emails and available for Local Pick-Up.
The reason we cannot be open more hours is that while I am away and the folks who are trained to run the front end are unable to due to the holidays. The luxury of time is a treasure - and this season is already an intense time for most folks.
It really is a logistical nightmare paired with limited time to prepare.
It was a wee bit of a scramble but the dust has settled and we are appreciative for the time folks are able to carve out for us.

Jesse will be with me for my first week of treatment in Victoria (12-15 Dec) but will be working at the studio fro my second week finishing up and tying up loose ends to prepare for the studio closure while I finish my treatment.

STUDIO CLOSED:

23 Dec - 15 Jan
Please note that we will likely not be answering emails during this time as it will be our ‘holiday’ and I will be knee deep in treatment. Jesse has been working very hard to be my support and support the team with my absence and he really needs this time as well. Please allow space for us to navigate this - it’s totally new and we are bumbling along as best as we can.

All online + atelier orders will be processed and delivered upon our return.
A selection of our seamstresses have chosen to work over the holidays - but we are not applying any pressure as it is important they find the balance of time too.

Thank you,
Destanne + Jesse

The Go Fund Me : support fund

Photo taken on Summer Solstice 2023.

all other photos by Kim Taylor