LIFE UPDATE

hey, what's up, hello?

Hi! I wanted to update because it’s been a minute since I’ve posted, wrote a Sunday Paper, etc. and I’m still behind on my Substack updates, but I’ve honestly just been so busy and I kinda just wanted to share how I’ve been feeling instead of forcing myself to write something polished or wait until I had everything caught up.

So, hi!! On Saturday we shot the summer collection(!!). I’ll share more soon, but if you want a little sneak peek, see here. & here. & here:

Dare I say…it’s the best yet? The overwhelming gratitude hit me this past weekend. And it reminded me that sometimes you have to stop and remind yourself that you’re living your dream.

I’ve been a little absent on Substack the past couple months because BRÛLÉ has DOUBLED in growth. It’s been this really exciting feeling because I’ve always wanted to have a brand. Like a brand, not me, not Kenzie Burke, but a brand. Something outside of myself. Something people connect to and wear and come back to. Something people seek out and purchase without KB selling it on socials. And though I LOVE building this with you side by side on IG, on Substack, sharing the process and the weekly things I mull over and go through and think about and how I’m doing all of this and bringing you into it - it’s also been REALLY cool and honestly VERY validating to watch the brand continue growing even while I’ve been quieter.

I miss writing on here. I really do. I’m definitely coming back very, very soon. It’s just been one of those seasons where it feels like everything happened at once. And I have been working my ass off.

The brand is growing. I am moving in less than two weeks (not leaving LA I am not insane anymore - but I am getting out of the city). This was a decision that took way too much of my energy if I am being honest. BUT I finally got to a place where I can move homes and LIVE where I want to live and I am a natural fit for it. Over a year ago, I moved into the city, put my head down and did what I needed to do to get this thing off the ground. I worked myself down to the bone. And I fucking did it. There is so much more to do, growth to be had, places to go with it. But I am stable. I now have options. I can CREATE my life now. I am getting my ass closer to the sea and out of the insane city and going back to where I have always called home in the LA area. Gosh, I can’t wait to wake up and be able to walk on the beach or just FEEL the slower pace of life, nature, and open my windows. And then drive my ass to the factory and work hehe.

ANYWAY I am getting sidetracked. But as I was saying - I did it. I don’t even know if I realized I was doing it while I was doing it because most of the days themselves don’t actually feel that glamorous. But as odd as this sounds…

I think that’s honestly the thing I feel the most gratitude for.

My day to day isn’t very glamorous at all. No matter how much growth the brand has had. I still haven’t hired anyone, which I know I posted months ago that I was going to and then I didn’t lol. So I’m still the shipper. I’m still the designer. Some days I’m literally in workout clothes from morning to night. Covered in factory dust. Driving around. Checking production. Answering emails. Eating random meals in my car. Forgetting to reply to something. Realizing I forgot to send something. Trying to keep ten things moving at once.

And honestly I always feel behind. Behind on marketing emails. Behind on shipping. Behind on production. Behind on random things. This past week especially felt really intense because we’re a little behind on production, we needed like thirty samples done for Saturday, a lot of our best sellers sold out and we’ve been trying to restock them, I’m like a week behind on shipping and genuinely just doing the best I can and trying to keep everything moving.

But weirdly... I love it. It’s stressful and exhausting and invigorating and I think that’s the weird thing about building something you love - because then there are days like Saturday. Days where I get my makeup done and my hair blown out

and model the clothing and get to step back for one second and actually see everything come to life.

On Saturday while I was driving home from the shoot I had this moment where I wasn’t inside my life anymore for a second, I was looking at it. And I had this overwhelming thought of like holy shit. This is my job. Like this is actually my life. I’ve always dreamed of this being my job and it is.

And I don’t mean success or money or numbers. I mean I literally get to wake up and design clothing and work with my factory who has become family and bring ideas to life and create and obsess over details and build something - and that’s what I wanted. And it supports me. And my life. And other peoples lives. Like the people who make the clothing at my factory. It feeds their families. WHAT?

And I had another thought too. I looked at myself and I thought... I even feel like myself. Which sounds weird because I don’t mean physically. Although whatever happened to my looks, I am here for

I just mean for a really long time I imagined this version of me that felt really far away. I imagined having a brand and shooting collections and living in LA and feeling settled in myself and building something I was proud of and not feeling like I had to be somebody else. And feeling like I had belonging.

I had this realization that I kind of became her. She’s not perfect. I still stress and get anxious and have production issues and doubt my life and all of it.

But I looked around and thought... wow. I actually really like my life now. I like my days. I like what I’m building. I like who I’m becoming. And I think we move the goalpost so quickly that we forget to acknowledge where we are. We’re always waiting for the next thing and thinking that’s when we’ll feel good or proud or present and this past weekend I had one of those moments where I thought...

WAIT. Look at me. Not “I did it.” Because I don’t think you ever fully do. But I’m doing it. I’m actively living the thing I used to sit around dreaming about. And that feels really special.

Anyways. I just wanted to share where my head has been at.

I wanted to do a Sunday Paper yesterday but I’ve worked six days straight and Saturday was a fourteen hour day and my best friend Eric who just moved back to town wanted to spend Sunday on the beach and so that’s what I did. I even had a mimosa. It was good.

Today I am back at the factory, back to shipping, back to checking productions and you know - all the things. Sunday paper next week. About to start rolling out my summer collection. I don’t know where to start. It’s all so good. I got to figure this out ASAP. Check out my highlight (this is not even half of it though) and LMK what you may want me to launch first cause I am struggling to decide.

I’m really grateful 🤍 for you. For this. For it all.

X,

KB