A Letter to You & Lily Tomlin

Hey all! Deirdre here.

I am insanely excited to bring you Dri umbrellas. We’ve dreamt of it, worked for it, interviewed countless people, opened every umbrella we’ve come in contact with (yes, even when we're inside) - you name it, we’ve likely done it to make Dri all it will be. We’re currently finalizing our supply chain, busting our butts to create the most environmentally sustainable umbrella in the world. But when I envision Dri, I see it standing for so much more. 

I want Dri to be a feeling. The head up, shoulders back, tingling sense of empowerment, that in the face of seemingly insurmountable issues like climate change or the ocean plastic crisis, we aren’t paralyzed into inaction. We don’t resign ourselves to “Well, there’s nothing I can do about it” or “I’m just one person- I can’t make a difference”. We stand up straight, and boldly own that our individual consumer behavior matters.

When I first considered starting Dri, I was scared. I was worried what my family and friends would think, terrified that I’d fail, fearful that I’d lose all my money and become homeless. In short, I was bugging out. I essentially had a perpetual case of the Sunday Scaries. Then I came across a quote that changed everything.

I knew we couldn’t wait on our governments or large corporations to act. Call me pessimistic, but if the most powerful entities in the world planned to “do something about that”, they already would have. So with that quote in mind, I was all in on Dri, fearfulness be damned. I reached out to Lily Tomlin in the off chance my beloved Frankie ever took me to court for using her words. Then I opened a new Google Chrome tab and typed “How are umbrellas made?"

About a year later, the honest-to-goodness best moment of my life occurred. I received an email back from Lily Tomlin. Before you roll your eyes and scoff, I know I can’t be 100% sure it actually was her, but my gut (and her humility) tell me it was.

“You know that quote has been attributed to me; however, I don’t remember saying it. I always thought Bobby Kennedy was responsible for that quote...I don’t have a contact for Ethel Kennedy but I can likely get one and I could write and ask her. Let’s be in touch.”

I nearly passed out.

When I received that email I was sitting at my desk, jaw on the floor, holding a Dri umbrella made from ocean bound plastic. As Lily (or Bobby) had insinuated, if we want something done, we have to do it our damn selves. So, I did. And now, you can too. 

Dri isn’t about umbrellas. It’s about you, and the power you yield. The positive role you can play. Because you are somebody. You matter.

Let’s act accordingly, shall we?

Stay Dri,
Deirdre