LETTER FROM THE EDITOR

Hello again,

It is my great honor to introduce you to the Renaissance Issue. In addition to being my seventh issue with the magazine, it also marks REFINE’s tenth ever issue. This is an achievement that I am delighted to share with the rest of our wonderful editorial board, without whom the magazine would never come together.

The most literal definition of Renaissance is the time period after the Middle Ages in Europe, around the 1400s to 1500s. This was a time of great social change, science, and art.

But the word “renaissance” also means rebirth or revival. A new beginning, a second chance. There is something poetic about this issue being our tenth — we are not starting over, but we are building upon what came before.

I am so grateful to the women who started REFINE and the women who have kept it running, year after year and issue after issue. It truly is wonderful.

In this issue we talk about the concerts that took this year by storm, sustainable fashion, and the queerness of female friendship. I hesitate to say that any issue is my favorite — but this might be mine.

All of my love,

Samantha Roehl