Dana's 2021 Year In Review
WHAT A YEAR! I cannot believe another holiday season is here and we are close to 2022! It has been an incredible year filled with so many special milestones and moments. I am still in awe of this community that is made up of friends, followers, and family. Friends who have become family and followers who have become friends. 2021 taught me that all a girl needs is a group of like-minded people to keep her going. That group is you!
We celebrated 14 years of Dana Rebecca Designs and I honestly can say, I will never forget year 14. To start, it wasn’t 13 (I hate the number 13), and secondly, because the support and love for our brand and this milestone was felt all around. This year I kicked off my candy influencing career (if you don't follow me on IG you are missing out!) and I discovered how much I love trying new things - especially candy. The secret is, at heart I’m a savory/ salty fan BUT my waist cannot afford to eat chips for a living. I am absolutely one of those people who, once they have opened a bag of chips, finishes said bag of chips. Candy for me is exciting because I have a few bites and am satisfied. Salty chips? I am never satisfied. At surface level, it may sound trivial, but it’s been surprisingly meaningful as the thrill of finding new things and trying them with my girls has been so fun. It has become a new thing we all bond over. We also celebrated 1 year of Female Founded Friday and wow, has that been a joy for me. The same way I enjoy candy, I love exploring new businesses and sharing my love and support for all things female-led and female-founded. Thankfully, it seems you all love it, too.
2021 wouldn’t be as special as it was without my incredible team of women and my brother! I am in constant awe of the team we have built and the commitment they have to the brand. We celebrated two team members' weddings, Kelsey and Kat, and they were both glowing brides. (And yes, they were both decked out in DRD for their big days!) This was also a big year for my family. My dad, Izzy, became a bit of an accidental celebrity thanks to his epic story-telling and unique fashion sense (IG followers know what I'm talking about). A few of you even spotted him out and about in Chicago or at the airport! He gets a kick out of his newfound fame and it warms my heart that everyone loves seeing him. We also celebrated my sister Jen’s oldest daughter's Bat Mitzvah this summer and it was the most perfect weekend with our family. Sophia Ryan continues to amaze me with everything that she does and her bat mitzvah was truly the most special celebration for our family.
We stood behind a lot of important causes this year! Alex's Lemonade Stand, Share Our Spare, Syd Strong, and Boys & Girls Club to name a few. Supporting causes mean a lot to our family and community will continue to be important to me and my team.
2021 was a year of change and a year of firsts, like remodeling our corporate office, sending off Poppy Rae to sleepaway camp, and reopening our New York City showroom. The same can be said for the line as we launched a collection of kids' bracelets, and we got to see Justin Bieber wearing our huggies! We've loved sharing all of it - because none of it could have been possible without you!
I cannot say it enough times over but - thank you. Thank you for supporting our business and loving to wear DRD. We have enjoyed celebrating so many engagements, babies, promotions, and milestones with you all, and can't wait for even more in 2022. We are so lucky!
xx,
Dana
