“A friend approached me with an idea for T-shirts. She had experienced addiction in her family and was alarmed about the increase in drug-related deaths among young people. Her idea is so novel, it played to both our love of fashion and our desire to contribute. Below is her story. ”

— Daisy Malek-Shadid (founder La Jolie MLN)

Brooke’s Story

Brooke
(The early years)

I became addicted to alcohol from my first drink. It eased my shyness. It gave me confidence. Suddenly I was the life of the party. I couldn’t resist the rush. From 16 to 29, I was a mess. College was a 4-year drunk. And, during my 20’s, while living in NYC, I often woke up next to a guy I had no recollection of meeting.

I felt like a ho.

For many the word is offensive. But I reserve the right to call it like it was. And for me, the name was fitting. Fast forward to 1982, and I found AA. I was done — ready to do anything they asked of me to put my ugly past behind me. I found a sponsor. I went to a meeting every day. In short, I was ready for rebirth.

And I got it… The birth of:

alcoHOl

〰️

sHOe

〰️

sHOpping

〰️

cHOcolate

〰️

HOme

〰️

SoHO

〰️

HOckey

〰️

pHOne

〰️

alcoHOl 〰️ sHOe 〰️ sHOpping 〰️ cHOcolate 〰️ HOme 〰️ SoHO 〰️ HOckey 〰️ pHOne 〰️

Okay, so what do t-shirts have to do with addiction?

While doodling one day I was thinking about my past. For some reason I can’t explain, I wrote the word “shoe.” Then I colored in the HO. Next, I wrote the word “shopping” and colored in the “ho.” Pretty soon I had shoe, shopping, chocolate, Soho, home, hockey and phone…all things I treasure. Sometimes too much. Then the light bulb moment: I wrote the word “alcohol.” And there was “ho.”

I thought, what if I could get t-shirts and apparel made using this idea? I could make a donation to a charity for each item I sold. The idea lay dormant for a few years, and then my wonderful friend Daisy came back into my life with La Jolie MLN.

So, if you have a friend or family member struggling with addiction. Or whether shoes, shopping or chocolate turn on your “ho” switch. Or, if you’re a New Yorker who has a love affair with Soho, we ask that you buy one of our products. You could just be helping to make a “ho” whole again.