The luxury of being yourself.

I recently finished reading The Fountainhead.
I’m “a little bit” proud of myself.

800 pages in tiny print, with stretches that felt endless—when the little devil in me kept saying, “V., why are you torturing yourself, just put it down,” and the better self kept answering, “focus and finish it”—this time it became quite a challenge.

So when I closed the last page and stuck my tongue out at that “devilish me” for failing to tempt me into quitting, and the first, very accurate impression rolled through my mind—“wow”—as I was drifting off to sleep that night, I realized I had read a book in which I found quite a lot of myself.

It’s a book about a person’s principles and the desire to remain true to oneself under any circumstances.

I’m still far from the main character’s level of conviction, but after finishing this long read, I thought about how recently I was quite firmly “taught a lesson” for producing “too small quantities.”

That I disappoint clients who want to buy something that’s already sold out.
That in such cases I lose them and make them not want to come back.

That I stubbornly cling—like a scratched record—to what some call a silly principle:
“we are a limited-edition brand,” and that I’m not thinking about business expansion.

After reading this book, I felt myself loving my “silly principles” even more.

I felt the urge to hold onto them even tighter—with nails and teeth.
And to stand by them like a wall.

Today, on the first day of the year, when you feel like saying something wiser, something more “summarizing”…

One sentence keeps circling in my mind:
“Thank you, your ranks, for allowing me to earn the luxury of being myself.”

And of course, it wouldn’t be me if I didn’t add a long little tail to that sentence:

✨ Only because of you can I afford not to “sell myself to ads” and confidently say that my kind word is not for sale—if I feel something is good, beautiful, I praise it. No “extras” attached.
If the feeling is the opposite—I stay silent, like a fish.

✨ Only because of you can I include in my collections only the pieces I 100% believe in—and that you believe in too.
Maybe not a huge group, but a very loyal circle of Ladies.

✨ Over the years, I’ve gained the luxury of not trying to please EVERYONE.
If someone wants sparkle, sequins, and fanfare—there are other brands that specialize in that.
And they do it well.
After 15 years, I’ve earned the right to say: “we don’t do that, and we don’t want to learn.”

✨ I can do what I believe in, the way I want—quality, tasteful, and with a lot of heart.

✨ Thank you for allowing me not to scatter in all directions, but to walk with confidence along the path I know and love.

Maybe I don’t celebrate it often enough—
but this is one of the greatest “treasures” of my life:

THE LUXURY OF BEING MYSELF.

A luxury made possible by you—
the eyes and hearts reading these words.

Sending you a warm embrace and my sincere appreciation,
V.