A Year of Shifts and Rituals

2025 was a year that asked for trust.

Leaving London - our home, our community, the rhythm that truly reflected who my daughter and I are -was heartbreaking. Packing flat and studio with a heavy heart, I didn’t yet see what space this change would make for.

The garden workshop became the place where a full collection took form, shaped by care, practical constraint, and a hands-on approach. Small batches, thoughtful processes, and attention to materials allowed each piece to evolve slowly, guided by the rhythms of real life.

The surprising thing was, from loss, opportunity emerged. Three months after the move, my friend’s agent reached out to represent Uri. On his usual visit to England, he came to my tiny workshop at the bottom of the garden. There, amid boxes of fabrics and unfinished pieces, we agreed he would take on the brand. Without leaving London, without the move, I would never have had the time or resources to create a collection to show, to develop a new phase of objects from the ground up, or to grow another project alongside Uri.

That other project - Gathered Hands, with my friend Bug - also grew unexpectedly. Over 40 small, like-minded businesses joined us for a Christmas event, and more than 1,000 people came through. What began as a simple idea blossomed into a bustling space in just a year.

In the midst of it all, I returned briefly to Paris - a city my father once lived in and loved. After delivering the collection to a showroom during Paris Fashion Week, I found a moment in a café he used to take me to as a child, where he would eat steak and frites. Sitting there with warming lentils on a very cold day together with a glass of red, I toasted to him. It was a fitting, quiet end to a whirlwind 72 hours: collecting samples, shooting the look book, travelling by train, and sharing the work.

Amid these shifts, I’ve been experimenting with ways to stay grounded. Daily rituals - noticing light, wind, texture - help steady the nervous system. Self-love routines, mindful nutrition that fuels energy, following the rhythms of the moon and my own cycles, and methodical monthly planning for business allow me to work with intention rather than reaction. Hoping to be able to share some tangible systems that can help anyon eelse in the same boat on my own page @charly_jacobs ……

I don’t yet know what 2026 will bring. Some doors may close again. Others will open in ways I cannot yet imagine. What I do know is this: when we trust the process, embrace change, and create with care, even heartbreak can make room for extraordinary growth and unforeseen opportunities.