Style As Legacy | Founder Letter 2025

This year, Petite Femme turned two. Whether you’ve made a purchase, shared your feedback, or simply followed along, thank you for being here. Although this is a time of celebration, I find myself feeling mixed emotions. If you've followed us from the beginning, you'll know that I've been on this journey for four years, and truthfully speaking, I believe we have so much more to achieve as a brand and as a movement. 

Looking back on our second year in business, there were some noteworthy highlights: we landed our first stockist, launched our second collection and were featured in major publications. But at the same time, it was a tough year for small business, and there were moments when I questioned everything and felt the weight of it all.

2024 was the year I quit fast fashion for good and started investing in higher quality, ethically made items. But in my search for investment pieces, I couldn’t help but notice that not much has changed, and every time I shop for clothes, I’m reminded of why I started this brand. It's clear that petite women deserve better: better fit, better quality and better options.

I connected with petite brand owners around the world, ordinary women like myself who took it upon themselves to make the clothes they couldn't find on the market. I learned that despite their best efforts to create sustainable brands with ethical pricing, many of them struggled to stay afloat, and ended up closing their businesses.

Eventually, I returned to a 9-to-5 job to continue funding this dream, and while it was a difficult choice, working for another business only reaffirmed the instincts I had about my own. Transparency, values alignment, long-term satisfaction—this is the fashion experience we truly deserve. But it's not enough to demand it, we have to claim it.

Our collective awareness of fast fashion has never been greater, yet we still have a tremendous amount of work to do, and that work is deeply personal and often uncomfortable. It requires us to confront our habits, unpack our stories about money and completely transform our perception of value.

In my own journey to slow fashion, everything shifted when I started to see every dollar I spend as a sign of my commitment. When I assigned my money a purpose and put it towards the things I care about most (even on a modest income), that’s when I received so much more value and satisfaction from every purchase. I found this to be true in all facets of my life, whether it's my wardrobe, my health or my home.

I think about the life of an object far beyond its intended use, and I consider every purchase an investment, not just in style, but in legacy. What happens to it once I'm done with it? Will it stand the test of time and be passed down to my children and grandchildren? Will it still hold value or meaning? Or will it be disposed?

This year, I invite you to reflect on your own relationship with fashion. What motivates your purchases? Who or what is it funding? Challenge yourself to invest in fewer, better things. Buy only the things you truly love; don’t settle for anything less. Then watch how this intentionality transforms all other areas of your life.

A x