With the approach of my 3 year anniversary since starting my brand, I look back at how it all started and reflect on the growth that occurred personally and in my business. And… I have a little fun at the end, too.

This video was showcased at the Steppie 3 Year Anniversary Event.
Shot by Naofumi Kudo, edited by Roxy Shih (The Good Kids).

Where do I even begin…

Unless you were hibernating, you’re probably aware that over a week ago I celebrated a very special occasion. With it beginning as just an idea six months ago and it slowly coming to life within a month’s span, on June 17th I celebrated my three year anniversary since starting my business… at a very special place with very special people. It was an excuse to get all my favorite people in one place, but moreso, it became a vivid reflection of the past three years and the journey I’ve been on to be where I’m at right now — basically, it wouldn’t have been possible without the support of old faces and new… to a large group of people I am forever in debt to. These people are my friends, colleagues, family, and supporters from all over. Where would I be without these people? I don’t even want to fathom the thought, but I’m so grateful they’re in my life.

The night was more than I could have wished for… to risk sounding cliche, it was perfection. The ambiance was on point — the location, the food, the drinks, the vibe, the people. Everything found a way of coming together — the decor, the photo booth, the entertainment. But most importantly, people enjoyed themselves… I enjoyed myself… and I have photos to prove it:

Phew! Did you get through all of that?

You can view more photos from the event here — and be on the look out for amazing video footage coming your way soon! To everyone that came out to the event, thank you for sharing that special night with me… and an even bigger thank you to all the people who took the time out to help me make this event happen. I love you all so much.

Hm… who’s ready for the next event? Harhar.

(More event coverage here.)

Because without all of you, my 3 year anniversary event wouldn’t have come together as perfectly as it did…

First and foremost, Biergarten for not only providing yummy food and drinks, but for also opening up their space for me and allowing me freedom to take over for one night. To my amazing Steppie team — Sonia, Addie, and Rebecca — for breathing life into the event. Long hours spent planning, running errands, and little sleep proved to be worth it! To our entertainment for the night — Groove Monsters, DJ DZ, Jenny Suk, Tim Ferguson, Jenny Ting, and CADC — I’m so honored to have had each of you as apart of the event. To my army of helpers — Danni, Rex, Charles, Cheah, Raffy, Anton, Andy, Koko, Ada, and Rwang — thank you for sacrificing your play time to actually work and make sure everything came together. To my gang of paparazzi — The Good Kids (Naofumi, Roxy, Justin) and my photographers (Elisha, Brian, Sophia, Jan, Dianne) — without you, that night would only be a memory… but with thousands of photos and hours of footage, it’ll be a night hard to forget. To Naofumi and Roxy, thank you for pulling all nighters for me to make our videos happen… you guys are legit. To Mark and Donald, thank you for dancing in lots of clothes (and in no clothes) for me. To Louis / Tikko Studios for allowing us to sneak into their studio for a whole afternoon. To Chanelle of CHWA cupcakes, your cupcakes were beyond delicious, people couldn’t stop talking about ‘em! Oh boy… I could really use one of ‘em right now. Of course, a thank you to my many, many goodie bag contributors — Oh, Hello Friend, Wong Fu Productions, Instant Noodles Crew, Plastique*, because maybe, Glad Rags Ink, Loud & Obnoxious, Audrey Shops, Voz Clothing & Art, SeaLemon, Buy Love Give Love, Bored Inc, Double-Sided Tape, Paper Crew, Kukubee, bybelinda, Unicorn Crafts, talkproof, and Boto Designs — you really put time into your contributions, and I was so proud to have you guys represent the DIY / indie community. And I can’t forget all the faces that actually showed up to the event… old friends, new friends, colleagues, and even fans (holla to those of you who drove all the way from San Diego!). I can’t believe how many of you came out to support, and I’m so happy I was able to share that special night with all of you.

And lastly… but most importantly, my family. It really meant so much to me to have you there. Just to have your faces in the crowd and allowing me the chance to show you what I’ve been doing the past three years. The smiles on your faces before you left were all I needed that night. Thank you for being my inspiration, and for teaching me that great things come to those who work hard and are good people while doing it. Thank you for never telling me I couldn’t try, and for being open, even if you didn’t always understand. The night would have been incomplete without you all there… and I just hope I made you proud.

How did I become so blessed to have all these awesome people in my life?

If you didn’t catch our live Ustream video from the 3 year anniversary event, you’re probably wondering who the winner is for our 3 year anniversary photo contest!

With the only criteria being that they be creative and rep Steppie in a photo, we received over forty submissions for the contest and had a really hard time choosing! In the end, we couldn’t get over the cuteness of one particular photo… so congratulations to Katie Takeda for being the winner of an exclusive VIP Steppie gift bag!

Her photo submission:

Because we had such a hard time choosing one winner, we decided to include an honorary mention, who’d be the winner of the exclusive 3 year event tank top. So to Jireh Somera, congrats!

Jireh’s submission:

Congrats to our winners, and thank you so much to everyone that participated!