This has been a really crazy year.
I started it with one toddler and ended it with three kids under three. It’s been a big learning curve trying to balance my now hectic life at home and running the brand, but in a neat way it’s shown me that I can manage both, and I really tried to step up to that challenge.
I got very addicted to coffee this year. At one point I was having nine to ten shots a day, which was… a lot. I’ve had to pull that right back to one or two before midday and I’m paying for it now with headaches, but it was probably overdue. By the end I was biting my gums and tongue at night while sleeping between baby feeds, because as it turns out the jaw is the last part of the body the nervous system turns to when it's spiralling out. Who knew?
What I’ve really noticed is how nourishing LKC still is for me. I can come in and print hard for a few hours and get heaps done, or chip away at admin and social posts in the small pockets of time between naps. This year proved that even in chaos, progress still counts. And I love it with as much passion as I did back in 2011. Maybe even more as I don't feel as directionless as I did back then.
I’m also incredibly grateful for our team. Claire has been with me since around 2020, and Gen and Nurie both for several years now. That's our whole team! Working with the same people for so long means we genuinely care about each other and have gotten much better at supporting one another. Our processes have improved massively too.
This year we also made a conscious choice to stop chasing constant growth and instead focus on doing really good quality work for our core community. You legends. The people we genuinely love making things for. That shift has felt really grounding, and the right move.
For the first time in years, we also stayed on top of our end of year rush. Everything shipped out, fewer emails, no printer breakdowns. Getting the studio and printer room properly set up made a huge difference, even if it was a lot of work and somewhat costly to build out those walls and ceiling.
I’ve had to go into full on production mode these past few months, but I’m excited to have more time to dive back into design next year. I’ve got a lot of ideas waiting and I’m keen to hit the ground running. The "I Saw A Dog Tee" I drew has been one of my best selling designs in a long time, which feels really good.
From the bottom of my heart, thank you to everyone who continues to support Lonely Kids Club. We’re coming up on 15 years this March, which still feels wild to say out loud. From a uni dropout starting a brand with no experience to where we are now, the community has always been the thing I’m most proud of, and in a way I feel like it's the community I needed when I was at my lowest, so I hope it can be there for anyone else that needs it to, because as it's core, LKC was always meant to be something that can be there for you to help you smile after a rough day. Putting good back into the world is still our number one goal.
Much love. Take care.
See you in 2026 🖤
Warwick™
www.lonelykidsclub.com
