. . . Am I Late?
Yβallβ¦ 2025βs holiday season was so jam-packed that Iβm late to 2026. Like has the tardy bell rang? Stacks and stacks of pancakes, flower petals, pocket squares, and so packed, I feel like I slept in, late to 2026, and the tardy bellβs been ringing for weeks! But Iβm here, unzipping the season with syrupy fingers. Letβs catch up.
π I Got Nominated for the Earthshot Prize (!?!)
Yep. That Earthshot. The one founded by William, Prince of Wales to celebrate planet-saving, system-shifting, solution-slinging humans around the globe. And EscarGrowβ’ is the work that earned the nod.
Omoyemi Akerele is second from right. Source: BBC, The EarthShot Prize, 2025.
But what really sent my neurons dancing was the moment I saw Omoyemi Akerele of Lagos Fashion Week take the Earthshot stage in Singapore. I swear, the fabric on that woman screamed outlier β a bold signal from the universe!
Naturally, I did what any snail-inspired designer-slash-homesteader-slash-mama would do:
β¨ I fantasized about snail couture.
β¨ Then I emailed Omoyemi.
β¨ Then she responded.
β¨ Then I froze.
β¨ I need a few days for my eyesight to return before I respond to her response.
Manifesting that collab, baybeeee! ππ
Simon Littlewood. Source: Council for Inclusive Capitalism
This moment wouldnβt have happened without Simon Littlewood, systems thinker, climate finance strategist, and certified Encourager-in-Chief.
Simon nominated EscarGrowβ’ with one ask: submit the full vision within 7 days.
I sent it within 24 hours. Because when someone hands you a key to actualization, you sprint.
I must have been carried by the British accent when I borrowed a sewing machine for the first time in years and stitched four ascots and matching pocket squares for my beloveds.
Then we all packed up the rental van and headed to Austin for a very special union.
Brian drove like a man who understood the assignment. Late flight. Hours of logistical errors. Five more hours on the road, late at night, no shortcuts. Just devotion and unbelievable stamina. The kids buzzed on road snacks.
I slipped into my favorite Saaksha & Kinni piece β all swirl, sass, and slow-motion shimmy.
And just when I thought my tear ducts were tapped outβ¦
Shhh⦠the dress is a secret.
Shopping for my brotherβs fiancΓ©eβs wedding dress wrecked me in the best way. Niceβs been in our lives for over 6 years now, living out the very music of her name β steady and graceful, even when whipping up an absolute killer karnΔ±yarΔ±k. Watching her twirl and flow from one dress to her favorite felt like watching a chapter close and another open, wide and radiant. More waterworks. . .
