I began writing this newsletter with the intention of exploring style, my personal definition of it, how it has evolved over the decades, and the way both nature and nurture have shaped my aesthetic perspective.
Style, after all, is so much more than what we wear. It's a reflection of who we are, where we come from, and what we value. To explore style is to take a voyage through time, a deep dive into memory, childhood, culture, and identity.
But as I began to write, the stock market crashed. Trump declared a sweeping wave of import tariffs and just like that, momentum gave way to uncertainty, and I found myself once again navigating forces far beyond my control, forced to adapt, rethink, and pivot.
This felt like the right moment to write instead about entrepreneurship, the realities of living in a world where you are constantly dancing with both risk and vision, a world in which every success is matched by an equally grand challenge or set back.
Entrepreneurship is in my blood. It's cultural. It's generational. It's instinctual. I come from a family of immigrants who built from scratch, lost it all, rebuilt again and again. That cycle of risk, resilience, reinvention, it's something I witnessed firsthand and something I'm experiencing every day in my own life as the CEO and creative director of my brand.
Entrepreneurship, at its core, is a spiritual experience. It forces you to confront fear, and ultimately, to let it go. It sharpens your instincts. It strips away illusions. It demands that you evolve. And when you do, when you survive what you thought might break you, there is a kind of invisible armor that forms.
But it is not for the faint of heart.
You will question everything.
You will face moments that feel unbearable.
And you will have to keep going.
In my case or similar cases you feel like every collection is the last one.
When I started CO thirteen years ago, I was still producing films in Hollywood. The industry was shifting. TV was in a renaissance, while film financing was becoming more complicated and uncertain. Fashion knocked quietly, and I listened.
I looked at the landscape and saw a void. The word "luxury" was being thrown around with increasing looseness. Prices were climbing, but value was evaporating. I asked myself: How do we create value again? How do we build something that feels intentional and beautifully made, but doesn't require someone to compromise their financial sanity to access it?
That was the seed of CO. A line for women like me, working women who wanted to invest in pieces that felt thoughtful and lasting, but not unattainable. Clothes that weren't disposable. Items that felt good to own, not just to wear. A wardrobe that offered distinction.
Getting buyers to understand the concept of value in an image-driven, hype-obsessed industry wasn't easy. It still isn't. But I knew it was the heart of what we were doing. I wasn't inventing a customer, I was the customer. And I listened to the women around me who echoed the same needs and there were many of them.
The goal from day one has been to build a community, an extension of my values, my vision, and the belief that this community of women is much larger than it seems. That I didn't need to reach everyone, I just needed to reach the right ones. I still believe that. A business can be deeply successful, rooted in meaning, profitable, and enduring.
The obstacles today to building a business seem harder than ever but they are not impossible. I believe and have always believed that behind the biggest challenges exist the greatest opportunities. You just have to keep digging, a little each day, and the truth is, that process is the best part. I love what I do and I'm deeply grateful I get to do it daily, alongside incredible people and partners who make it all possible.
Here are a few of the many takeaways:
• Find the void and speak directly to it. This is increasingly difficult in our oversaturated world. But oversaturation does offer opportunity. Go against the grain.
• Speak your truth (yes, it can sound cliché, but strip away the sentiment and you'll find the core of every great company).
• Don't give up. Success rarely comes on the first try. Sometimes not even the second or third. Believe me I know this first hand.
• Be crystal clear about your brand identity. Every time I've wavered—tried to be a bit of this and a bit of that—I've failed.
• Work relentlessly. I'm a strong believer that the harder you work the luckier you get. Not seeing results from hard work can be demoralizing but again, don't give up.
• Develop many skills. You have to be both strategic, business minded and creative. One skill is not enough.
• Stay curious and informed, but don't get lost in the noise. This is a delicate and important balance. One I have to remind myself of constantly.
• Compete, but admire your competition. There is nothing to gain by criticizing those who are bigger and better. Learn from them.
• Ask questions. Be vulnerable. Pretense is a waste of time. People will support you—if you keep it real.
• Keep your expenses lean. Not always easy but choose wisely where you invest. Be resourceful.
• Be the brand. Good salesmanship is about believing so deeply in what you do and communicate. Deliver your belief system by embodying it fully. That kind of authenticity is essential.
Onward and upward.
The show must go on.
Love,
Stephanie
