Call Your BFF: Emily + Meritt Launched a New Collection That's All About Celebrating Female Friendship

You'll want to get your BFF on the line ASAP — we'll wait. Better yet, you should probably just take her shopping for matching sweatshirts, because after seeing the lineup from Emily + Meritt's newly launched namesake brand, you're both going to want one. The designers and real-life best friends behind the label The Great dreamed up a new collection that's all about women and the women who inspire us. With sweet sentiments and empowering messaging crafted onto soft knits, paper products, and accessories, it's an adorable, noncheesy lineup that's begging to be shared with the people you love most. Even better, new products roll out every month on EmilyandMeritt.com.

Read on to get to know the designers behind the brand and how their relationship with each other informed the pieces you'll shop.

POPSUGAR: What piece from the collection would you gift your BFF?
Emily: I would buy Meritt the best friend tee, and I would buy the other half for myself.
Meritt: I would buy Emily the shell colored "friendship" sweatshirt. It's perfect with jeans.

PS: What's your favorite piece?
Emily: I'm a fan of anything with stripes — so the Mate P.E. sweatshirt in red stripes is my favorite. I bought it a bit oversize to wear slouchy and over dresses.
Meritt: I'm loving the navy "Rock the Boat" sweatshirt. It's soft, yet with an empowering sentiment.

PS: What's the best thing about working with your best friend? Most challenging?
Emily and Meritt: The best thing is that you can weave in conversations about life and dreaming, along with some humor, throughout an otherwise busy and chaotic work schedule. The most challenging is coordinating our schedules! We both have young kids, so back-to-school month and the holidays are hard to balance.

PS: I love the nautical sayings and expressions on your sweatshirts — what inspired the phrases?
Emily and Meritt: Each drop tells a story — and through nostalgic prints, patterns, and graphics, we design sentiments that are meant to be clever, feel empowering, and make you smile. Our first season is named "friend-ship" and marries nautical and friendship themes.

PS: What story do you hope to tell with this collection, and who do you hope is shopping it?
Emily and Meritt: We hope this collection can help to celebrate supportive female friendships and girls and women who want to dream big and do it all. This collection is timeless, season-less, and both for the young and the young at heart. It's the perfect treat for yourself and an even better gift for your friends.