The other day someone asked me, ‘What have you been up to?’
I told him a few things that were going on.
Then I flipped it and asked him the same question.
He told me a few things that were going on.
All good.
We were saying goodbye, and I thought, ‘You know TJ? You should do a better job of telling people about DERAILLEUR.’
So, I told him about it, and he said he would check it out.
He was genuinely interested, which was nice.
He then asked a question that was totally legit.
‘Would you consider yourself to be an influencer?’
I understood where he was coming from.
But I also explained that it was the last thing I was.
The last thing I wanted to be.
The last thing I am.
I left it at that.
It was fine then and there.
But I thought about the question on my ride home.
Funny, in all the time I have been writing in DERAILED COUTURE, ‘influencer’ was a word that had never crossed my mind.
Never.
I was kind of proud of myself that this was the case.
I am not here to influence.
You do not want to be influenced.
You do not need to be influenced.
DERAILED COUTURE is the total opposite.
The goal has been and will always be ‘to tell your own story.’
I am hoping you are just here to get one ‘guys’ take on some cool clothes that are out there.
I am not concerned at all if you buy them or wear them.
I simply want to put it out there.
But put it out there differently.
More ‘check this out,’ kind of vibe.
Like if you had a friend who shot you a text saying, ‘Look at this.’
I would like to think of myself as that ‘friend.’
I think it is best to be ‘uninfluenced.’
Make your own choices.
Go your own way.
Wear what you want.
Create your own style.
Shop where you want to shop.
The best version of yourself is the one you curated on your own.
You are writing your own story.
Let your style tell your story.
Don’t let anyone else tell it for you.
And heck, if you find some nice stuff off DERAILED COUTURE, there is nothing wrong with that.
I just texted you and said, ‘Look at this.’
‘UNINFLUENCED’
Insert closing laptop emoji here.
‘Wear it OUT’