I read this quote last night after spending the evening writing about a memory from twenty years ago - a Purple Label relaunch night in Milan that I haven't thought about in far too long.

I was there with my colleague Braham, working on the European relaunch of Ralph Lauren's Purple Label Men's collection. After ten plus years with the company, this felt significant - my first men's runway show, being part of something this exclusive and beautifully crafted. We met fashion critic Suzy Menkes that night, and honestly, I was more nervous meeting her than I've ever been meeting actual royalty. Her knowledge of fashion history, her integrity in an industry that can be so compromised - she represented everything I respected about this work we do.

It was an incredible night. We had such a great time - the energy, the excitement of being part of something this significant.

But here's what I'm realizing now, twenty years later: it wasn't just the achievement I treasured. It was that I got to share that magic with Braham. After five years of working solo, I finally understand what I was really experiencing that night - not just professional success, but the joy of meaningful work witnessed by someone who became like family.

I realize I've been missing this - not just the collaboration, but the witness. Someone who gets why heritage craft matters, why the artistry from yarn to finished garment is so much more than fashion. Someone who understands that when we're creating something beautiful together, work becomes art, becomes a friend.

Thirty years in this industry, and I'm choosing to stop letting fear drive. For too long I've been afraid that sharing these experiences would sound like bragging. But this Milan story isn't about showing off - it's about honoring the craft, the moments, and the people who made them meaningful.

The great Laura Hall once told me something that's stayed with me - that we must not be quiet when it comes to teaching future generations why this work matters. She's right.

I want to reach out to the Brahams in my life - the colleagues who became friends, who shared those moments that actually made all of this worthwhile. Work has always been emotional for me because we're creating art, honoring centuries of craft tradition. The people who share that passion? They become family.

And it's time I stopped being afraid to say that - or to celebrate the experiences we've shared together.

PS: Suzy Menkes wrote about this very show for the International Herald Tribune on January 18, 2002, calling it "male aspiration to the fore" and noting it as Ralph Lauren's "very first European runway show" - at the time a significant milestone in Purple Label's international expansion. I knew she was there for a reason. Twenty years later, I'm finally ready to share my own piece of that history.

What work memories are you holding back from sharing? Who are the people who witnessed your professional moments and made them meaningful?