First Clothing Line

Imagine a 7th grader with rainbow šŸŒˆ braids and matching plastic clips, wearing a thrifted flowing, flower skirt and a tight little boys baseball shirt with combat boots and wild socks bouncing around the halls of middle school.

7th grade was a crazy year for me. I had a million friends and got my first job. I started doing drugs and getting into fights; sneaking out in the middle of the night, and having sex with boys that were too oldā€¦I hung out at Hot Topic, pinball arcades, the woods, and caves I probably shouldnā€™t have been in. I yelled at my mom too many times and flipped over desks in my math class. I skipped typing class and hid out in the school counselorā€™s office. I yelled at cops and huffed markers for a cheap high.

I remember the car ride to my first treatment center, I was so excitedā€¦not sure for what, probably just to get the f&@$ out of there. It was the year of the Hale-Bopp comet and all the treatment center kids would sit outside on wooden picnic tables smoking cigarettes and sharing ā€œwarā€ storiesā€¦and planning how to sneak into the boys wings later that night.

I liked going to AA meetings and talking to old men who wore their lifesā€™ pain on their face and had voices that were low and crass. I didnā€™t feel alone anymore and instead of people seeing me as ā€œdifferentā€; I had people look at me and say ā€œyup, me tooā€, ā€œI have those urges, I have those feelingsā€, ā€œI see your painā€.

I know it all sounds so romantic, for me it was. It all was my escape.

Seven lifetimes later, here I am. Almost unrecognizable from that little girl, yet she is still so apart of me. Iā€™d like to go back in time and hold that little girlā€™s hand. Iā€™d like to tell her that itā€™s all gonna work out. That her broken puzzle will find its missing pieces. That sheā€™ll meet people that will help her heal. That sheā€™ll have experiences that will blow her mind and that sheā€™ll accomplish great things that are all her own!

I was gonna tell you that Iā€™m launching a clothing line in a few weeks, but I thought youā€™d rather know why I was doing it.

Strey Designs capsule basics line coming Spring ā€˜22ā€¦

Shop now

You can use this element to add a quote, content...