Me and The Project
Hi, I’m Barbara.
This project has been in my mind for a while.
I wanted to create something that brings together different parts of who I am. My love for reflecting on real life. The messy, beautiful, everyday kind. My love for content creation and design-I’ve been working in marketing for the past 15 years. And my relationship with fashion.
Over the past few years, through therapy, motherhood, and simply growing into a new decade of life, I’ve changed. I think differently. I express myself differently. And this project is a reflection of that.
UYWP is not meant to be just another T-shirt with a slogan. Each piece carries a story: a personal experience, a learning, or a practice that has shaped my life. I hope that you can connect with these pieces and express yourself in a meaningful way.
The Name
The name comes from a few places.
First, I’m the mother of a six-year-old boy. When he’s overwhelmed or frustrated, one of the things I say most often is: “Use your words.” It helps him slow down, name what he’s feeling, understand what he needs, and express it clearly. In many ways, that’s what I hope this project encourages you to do. Take a moment to pause, reflect on our everyday life, the messy parts, the good ones, and find the words for them.
Second, English isn’t my first language. In my mother language, Portuguese, the verb “use” is what we choose as the verb when referring to clothing. For a long time, I mixed the two up, and it became a bit of an internal joke. But it also reminded me that language is imperfect. It’s personal. It’s something we grow into.
And honestly, “wear your words” just doesn’t sound that good, right? Haha.
Use Your Words feels more like me. A little imperfect, but a lot real.