# It's our Birthday! Wild Rye is NINE! | Wild Rye

- Canonical URL: https://wefunder.com/feed/184440
- Entity ID: wefunder:feed_item:184440
- Published at: 2025-08-05 20:31:13 UTC
- Updated at: 2025-08-08 22:08:21 UTC

## Author
Cassie Abel

## Subject
Wild Rye

## Content
This Saturday, Wild Rye turns nine. 9. A whole damn near-decade of being scrappy, bold, and having a helluva good time. Nine years of creating beautiful, high-quality gear and a brand committed to uniting more women outside with confidence.This last year? Easily the most trying chapter of the journey yet. I’ve said that before, but this is a whole new level. The highs have fueled us. The lows? Y’all have been following the news cycle.The lows have tested every ounce of our resilience. The magnitude and whiplash of ever-changing tariffs have run us ragged. Again. And again. In the days following "liberation day," I showed up for my team as the worst kind of leader: panicked, overwhelmed, scared, and raw. We’ve made painful budget decisions. Had hard conversations. Hit pause on partnerships I care deeply about. I feel like I’ve dressed myself in body armor ready for battle more days than not, fighting for public lands, for reproductive rights, and for fellow small businesses trying to navigate an economic system that’s increasingly set up to tank us.background skiers for Chelsea Handler's 50th birthday video - all rocking Wild Rye beanies.But, the highs of the last 12 months have been exceptional: We rolled out a rebrand that we’re incredibly proud of (I even got it tattooed on my arm). After four years of development, we finally got to introduce our outerwear to the world (tested globally and launching to you very soon!). We launched my personal dream collab with SMITH. We were honored to support the first-ever women’s field at Red Bull Rampage alongside our pal Katie Burrell. We invested in our team. We grew as individuals, as a business, and as a community. We got to ski with Chelsea Handler (OMG, OMG, OMG). I learned what it means to roll my sleeves up and tap the inner political activist in me. And like always, we stood proudly (and boldly) for the things we believe in. And last but not least, we opened up ownership of the Wild Rye brand to the folks who have been there since day one - our community, raising nearly $700k to date.part of the Wild Rye team showing off our soon-to-launch Outerwear at Alpine World Cup championshipsThis year, we learned once again that being a small, values-driven brand means you’re both incredibly powerful and painfully vulnerable. So here’s my birthday wish: support the small brands you love. Shop from humans who reflect your values. And if you believe in Wild Rye and want to see us thrive and continue to grow, share our Wefunder with your community. Even $100 goes a long way and you’ll get to call yourself an owner of one of the fastest growing B Corp Certified outdoor brands. **(as you know, this is NOT a donation, it’s an investment and I surely will work my tail off to grow that investment).Highs and lows aside, Wild Rye isn’t going anywhere but up. We entered this storm stronger than ever. We’re standing boldly, building, laughing (and crying). We’ll keep showing up for women, for the outdoors, and for the fight. Happy Birthday, Wild Rye! Thanks to everyone who's been along for the ride the last 9 laps around the ☀️#PlayWildCassie raising hell on the hill - fighting for tariff relief and protection of our public lands