New Year, New Me

Like actually tho

Happy New Year! 2025 is numerically pleasing therefore I hope your year is too. On the agenda today: Introducing myself, new 2025 programming, and a final (for now) curation.

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I read (or heard?) something a while ago that I wish I could directly reference, but it went something like this: If you want to change your life, you have to be willing to be seen.

I have spent most of my life and career obscuring myself on purpose, oscillating between a desire to create and connect and a deep instinct to hide and revel in anonymity, whether behind internet monikers or simply offline altogether.

An “in” that I set for 2024 was to use your real name as an artist. I didn’t quite get there but from here on, I’m going bona fide Government Name™.

So… hello. I’m Emily Nabnian. I used to dislike both parts — Emily because it was plain and classic and there were always so many of us, and Nabnian because people struggled to pronounce it (pro tip: it’s phonetic).

Though I still experience significant discomfort with “being seen” — even sending out a Substack email used to give me anxiety — it is a price I am willing to pay to go on a new adventure, not as “Surfista”, “escapadier”, “emilia” or any of my other aliases, but as myself.

The adventure in question is starting my own business. A brand if you will, though a brand is not necessarily a (good) business and a business is not necessarily a (good) brand. Figuring out that puzzle is part of the fun, interspersed with wondering why the hell any sane person would put themselves through this.

Alas!

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2025 Programming

If you are interested in business, fashion and the business of fashion or you’ve ever thought:

• I want to start something and I listen to all these podcasts but it’s still not materially clear how the fuck they got that off the ground

• How do I get my first customers if I’m unfunded and not an influencer/scenester/nepo-baby and I suck at social media?

• I want to expand my world but I can’t bear to show my face on TikTok

• Where should I start if I didn’t even go to school for this?

• How can I balance creativity and entrepreneurship?

…and many other quandaries… then I think you’ll like what’s next.

Here’s what you can expect going forward:

• A name change for this newsletter (TBD)

• A shift in content — while I’ve enjoyed sharing ideas and products that resonate with me, we’re abandoning metacreation baby! Instead of reporting on what other people are doing, I’ll be reporting on what I am doing through two strands of content:
  1) Business Programming (building in public, sharing learnings, resources and industry observations)
  2) Brand Programming (a deeper look into the brand world, design philosophy, prototyping process and how previous ideas I’ve shared in Surfista are applied to this new medium)

• Regular dispatches — more blog-style with a focus on delivering value over extensive essays

• Going paid — not immediately, but in the coming weeks after rolling out some of this new content. There will always be some free content available, but the real sauce will be paywalled. It is Practically Free Game at the cost of like one New York coffee/month.

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A Last Hurrah

✦ PRODUCTS & CITIES — I have low-key been working on city guides (Tokyo, New York, Chiang Mai, Rio de Janeiro) which I’ll probably release later this year. Not only are the city guides focused on food/design/architecture and having a non-typical tourist experience, they also include shopping guides that you will NOT see on TikTok with the best product selections (imo) from local brands in said city. A recent product I fell in love with when I was in Tokyo last week is the Diffar Fragrance Hair Oil.

I went for 11001 Tokyo Balance which is described as an “urban/elegant” scent reminiscent of a rainy Tokyo day, “bathing in a marble of neon lights”. Once you have experienced one of these days under a transparent umbrella, you’ll know the magic it’s referring to. I also got into haircare last year, which I really should’ve done years ago considering I’ve been bleach blonde since 2016.

✦ A TROPICAL ABODE — I discovered this stunning home in Bali which shares some visual codes with my birthplace, Thailand. I’m obsessed with the soft green tones, integration with nature and pared back warmth of the wood. Check out the full case study here.

✦ TRY ON CLOTHES WITH AI — a new app Doji is in private beta. I’ve encountered a lot of AI apps in the fashion space, none particularly compelling, but Doji has put together a really sticky onboarding that lets users create an AI likeness to try on clothes. The aesthetic is reminiscent of System Magazine (fave mag) x SSENSE. Very excited to give this a try.

✦ TANCHEN x MORNING — I am a Tanchen stan. They kill it. And their new collaboration with Morning is insane. Look at these gorgeous coffee machines that kind of resemble camcorders (compatible with Nespresso capsules). The icy pink coasters. Woah.

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If you made it this far, I appreciate your attention! You can also find me here on Instagram / Are.na

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