New York – September 1985

The AIDS pandemic had just begun to reach a fever pitch in NYC. My parents, living in Brooklyn at the time, were in the center of the scare, as many of their dear friends in the art community were being affected. Not unlike the current situation, people were panicked and no one was quite sure what to make of things or how to react. 

It was at this time that Lisa, my mother and founder of Sorrelli, decided to do what she could to comfort her friends. She began designing and making crosses at her small Brooklyn apartment, and giving them to those that were affected by the disease. Unfortunately, she made a multitude of these crosses over the course of the next few years, as she watched countless friends contract, and some die, from AIDS.

I’m always captivated when my mother tells this story, albeit not often. The driving force behind her actions is the main tenant that Sorrelli was built on – bringing comfort, joy and a sense of community. Today, we call it our sisterhood, our family.

If we turn the page to today’s pandemic, it would be easy to completely isolate and shy away from community. But that is not the path we will choose to take. We will choose to band together as a community. We will continue to bring joy where we can, and be strong together. We’ll continue to design and make our signature Sorrelli crosses with this in mind.

Hope, togetherness, faith, and the knowledge that someone is thinking of you. 

– Lily