A Case for Being Selfish

By: Steph Diguiseppe

As her debut memoir, Selfish: Unlearning, Reclaiming, and Telling the Truth, hits shelves, Kerry Docherty is redefining what it means to put yourself first. Once a self-described peacemaker, Docherty’s journey spans from Buffalo to the Jersey Shore, and now to the Hamptons, where Faherty’s easy coastal vibe feels right at home. From Yale lacrosse captain to co-founding the casual clothing brand—her husband, Alex, is CEO, and his twin brother, Mike, handles design—she’s helped shape a lifestyle rooted in connection, nature, and intention. As chief impact officer, she’s infused sustainability and mindfulness into the company, but her most personal work turns inward. In Selfish, Docherty explores the radical act of prioritizing her own needs, challenging the stigma around the word, and what happens when women choose truth over harmony.

Your memoir challenges the idea that “selfish” is a bad word. How has reclaiming it changed the way you live?

The word “selfish” can be triggering, but when we talk about the “self,” it encompasses so many different parts of us—our emotional and physical self, our spiritual self, and our inner childhood selves from growing up. A part of being human is having to navigate and listen to all our competing needs, wants, and desires—and sometimes that’s messy. The book talks about becoming acutely aware of how things make us feel and learning to lean into the things that make us feel most alive. Sometimes prioritizing that—whether it’s pursuing our passions, saying no to people-pleasing, carving out alone time, or choosing to be around certain people—can look like being selfish.

Building a clothing brand like Faherty alongside family is rare. How has that shaped the brand’s point of view?

So much of Faherty’s success has been because we are a family, and each of us has brought a different skill set to the brand: Alex in business and finance, Mike in design, their mom in store design, and me in impact and community. None of us could have done it alone, but together we built something we are so proud of.

Faherty is synonymous with laid-back coastal dressing. How would you define the aesthetic today?

The same! However, the brand continues to get more elevated. We started with surf roots—which are still very much there—but we’ve expanded our offerings to include more dressy options, like easy-to-wear suiting and occasion pieces.

As chief impact officer, how did you make sustainability feel integral—not additive—to the brand?

When Mike first left his job at Ralph Lauren, he spent more than a year developing the “perfect” board short made from recycled polyester from plastic bottles, so sustainability has been a tenet of the brand from the beginning. As a family deeply connected to nature, we wanted to ensure that our supply chain and fabrics weren’t extractive. From there, we’ve continued to push ourselves—converting plastic packaging to renewably sourced paper, working with indigenous designers who live by intersectional environmentalism, and launching Second Wave, our circularity program for pre-loved Faherty pieces.

The Hamptons feel like a natural home for Faherty. What drew you to open a store here?

We love opening stores in people’s happy places—the places where they feel most relaxed, whether that’s outside or gathered around a big table with friends and family. The Hamptons epitomizes that.

Does the Hamptons customer influence what you design or stock in-store?

Definitely! We know the Hamptons customer is versatile; their days can include everything from lounging at home to beach walks, pool time, golf, and a more formal evening event. We make sure we have something for all of it.

Where do you find inspiration most when you’re Out East?

The beach, any beach, as long as there’s sand and salt.