Rachelle Hruska MacPherson’s parlay from a media entrepreneur into a fashion icon and designer started as a stress-reliever. “It was a true hobby that I was doing to help me counter my anxiety,” she says of Lingua Franca, her cashmere sweater line handstitched with catchphrases. After the 2016 presidential election, it got political. “I became motivated to start having our embroiderers stitching resistance phrases, and it became a sort of healing process. We started and we couldn’t stop.”
Stopping doesn’t seem in the cards anytime soon, as the Manhattan-based mom debuts a New York City retail space, a capsule collection with Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand, an exclusive line of jewelry with Of Rare Origin, coveted PJs with La Ligne and a partnership with Diane von Furstenberg.
MacPherson’s ties to the Roaring Fork Valley are strong; her mother-in-law, Janet MacPherson, lived here for several years, and her husband went to elementary school in Aspen. Last year, the Lingua Franca founder partnered with Anderson Ranch Arts Center to create a series of sweaters with Ai Weiwei phrases on them, such as “the art always wins.” “I love the history you can feel in Aspen, and I love that we have our own family history from the place,” she says. “It feels very LF in a good way: a place where outlaws from all over can meet up and appreciate the beauty of nature.”
This year, she’ll also debut a new line. “I think that it’s hard not to feel helpless in this politically charged time,” she says. “There is a power in the people, and displaying these messages across your chest for the world to see is an important reminder to all of us to stay engaged.” $380, 5263 Owl Creek Road, andersonranch.org
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