Our Story

Let's start from the beginning...

I was born a Gemini. A year later, my best friend Jacqueline was born a Gemini. Skip forward a few years later when we finally met, and the gemini energy RADIATED. We were the Gemini Twins. Two sides of the same coin. Each others half. And we lived up to the Gemini reputation. You loved or you hated us. We either came across as the "loving, euphoric, chaotic duo" or the "insane b*tches that just loved to cause problems". And we were both. So what we caused problems? It was for the plot. So what we liked to instigate things? We were just keeping life interesting. But no matter what side we were playing, we were always there for each other. She'd back me up whenever someone pissed me off. I'd go along with her crazy plans, no questions asked. We were there for each other, loved each other, and accepted each other through every strength and weakness. 

We could sit and talk for HOURS. And I literally mean hours. Our conversations would revolve around anything and everything - our dreams and goals for the future, the same drama from high school we've already talked about a million times, our favorite book characters and theories, how many cats we wanted when we were older. We never got tired of it, because we could say whatever we wanted with no judgement from the other person. If I needed to rant about something I'd already ranted about a million times, she'd let me. If she needed to talk out loud about where each book should go on the shelf while reorganizing, I'd let her. If we were scared of the future, we'd hide in bed together. That was the best part about our friendship. It was a safe zone to be completely ourselves, the good the bad and the ugly, and live freely in whatever emotions we were having that day.

This business first started as a little side hustle. I had just quit my job, I hated my reality, and I felt like I had nothing going for me. My mom had brought up the idea of starting a little t-shirt brand that was "pop culture" related as a way to get us creative again and start something new. I thought the idea was cool and was excited to work with her, but I was very adamant that I would not be the face of this brand. As we kept working on fun little designs, things weren't clicking. The vibe was completely off. I didn't feel connected to it, and they weren't designs I would ever wear. So we started back at the drawing board, and the light bulb went off that this brand needed to reflect ME. 

So... I had to reflect long and hard about who I was. I looked at all past versions of myself. I thought about everything I loved, and the things that defined me. In my "self discovery" journey I was forced to take for this project, I learned three really big things about me. 

1. I loved being a Gemini. I don't care if it becomes my only personality trait because reading my silly little costar app every morning is such a positive. I love blaming things on the fact that "I'm a Gemini" even if it has nothing to do with astrology. And I especially love how it connected me and J because of our Gemini suns. 

2. I carry a lot of hurt from being misunderstood. I feel like I get treated like a wild animal sometimes that people don't know how to be around. And sometimes wild animals are hunted. There's been many situations in my life where I've felt backed into a corner, but the moment I fight back, I become the problem. I want to scream, "what about my side of the story?? What about the fact that I was poked and kicked??" But instead I also start to believe I'm the problem, so I isolate further and allow the reputation of me to stand. 

3. I've always been the most myself with Jacqueline. She never made me feel like the problem. And even if I was, she loved me for it anyways. And I was the same person for her. That is the type of person I want to be seen as, the person that Jacqueline loved unconditionally. 

So I told my mom all these things and we went to WORK. the name "Gemini Summers" came easy. Gemini - the thing that connected me to my best friend, and something I love to use to describe me and all of my double sided feelings. And summer - which starts in gemini season and always has the strongest feelings of nostalgia, which is something I'm crippled by often. The logo came from my "Gemini" tattoo I designed, which is the same tattoo I passed out on and nearly gave J a heart attack. That was a core memory in our friendship, and that same day we got our matching "J" and "I" tattoos. The design was already perfect and so dear to me that all we had to do was add the summers.

"instigate" was a consistent word that played a roll when thinking about what I wanted this business to be. Such a negative connotation, right? But go look it up on google.

"Instigator: a person who brings about or initiates something." 

Based off of that definition, I will gladly take my reputation as an instigator. Now that I think about it, pop culture is filled with instigators. All of my biggest icons are instigators. My best friend is an instigator. And I'm an instigator. 

This business was created for those who are torn between the two sides of life's seasons: the nostalgic moments of existential meaning, and the provoked events of instigation.

SO WHO'S READY TO INSTIGATE?? 

xo - iz