A LETTER FROM THE FOUNDER

Hello again.

When I closed Helen Milan, it was for two reasons. First, it became clear that growing the business within the current retail system would have required me to compromise on the very things I set out to protect: environmental responsibility, a supply chain that values people over profit, and a direct, human connection with my community.

Second, on a more personal level, my family needed me in a way that could not be outsourced or postponed. I made the decision to step away and be fully present at home.

What I did not fully expect, though perhaps I should have, was the outpouring of letters, emails, and messages that followed. So many of you reached out to share what Helen Milan had meant to you. You told me about the rituals you had built around our products, the sense of calm, beauty, and intention they brought into your homes, and how our values echoed your own. You also told me that while you were sad that Helen Milan was closing, you were sending love and quietly cheering me on.

Those messages were deeply moving, and they have stayed with me. They reminded me that together, we had created something meaningful, something worth preserving, even if it needed to take a new shape.

Over the past two years, I have taken time to reflect on what a truly sustainable business looks like - not only environmentally, but also emotionally and structurally. In that same time, I have been through my own transformative process, one that I have begun to write about. Both journeys have given me clarity and renewed purpose, and now I am slowly beginning to build again.

I am still in the quiet part of the process, but something new is taking shape. Alongside it, I hope to share some of the writing and reflections from this personal chapter with you. 

I am grateful you have stayed connected through this pause, and I can't wait to share what comes next.

With much love,