It starts with a bonnet

Hello there. It’s been a while since we’ve posted here, but I can promise you it’s not for a lack of excitement. We’ve been active over on our Briar Society Facebook page, announcing sales and new collections and giving you sneak peeks into future projects whenever possible. I know I speak for the whole Briar team when I say thank you for all of your input and enthusiasm on everything we have rolled out thus far. For me, it just keeps getting better and better. Creating heirloom quality bonnets for the most beautiful babies and lovely families is a privilege that I’ll never take for granted. However, as much as I love popping in on our Facebook page keeping you all updated on the latest and greatest, some announcements are SO BIG, they deserve their very own blog post. But, before I jump into the exciting news, first a little back story…

When I started Briar Handmade four years ago it was birthed out of a simple desire to outfit my baby girl with what I wasn’t seeing on the market. I began making our signature style bonnets for Gracelyn, and once I started selling them, I was blown away by the response. After much work, growing pains, success, trial, and error, I find myself still amazed by the success of my “little bonnet project.” We have by no means arrived, but we work hard every day and have seen so much growth, and we aren’t alone. The miracle of social media has allowed many “mompreneurs” just like me to start small and grow BIG. I love being a part of this inspiring community and have always strived to celebrate other entrepreneurs that have carved out their own niche in what I like to refer to as the small shop zeitgeist.  Practically speaking, that's meant being careful to stick to what we are known for, and at times holding back out of respect for other brands. Briar is known for heirloom quality woven bonnets and we pride ourselves on offering the best fit and quality and I can promise you that will never change.

For some time we’ve been interested in expanding to offer softer, more flexible bonnets for the sweet little babes in your lives, but Petite Soul was already doing a wonderful job in bringing a similar product to market. We’ve admired their soft stretch cotton and pixie bonnets from afar, but chose not to make a competing product because they were already mastering those styles. However, several months back, I heard the news that Petite Soul would be officially closing up shop and its amazing creators and founders moving on to other things.

And now the big news…

We are so happy to announce that after much thoughtful negotiation, Petite Soul’s best selling products will now live on through the Briar brand.  

You might be wondering “why not just design your own?” Well, in short, I wanted to respect all the work that had gone into perfecting and creating Petite Soul’s products, rather than just swoop in to create our own versions. They opened shop four years ago (just like Briar) and if their journey was anything like ours, lots of very long days and nights and love went into perfecting their bonnets. What’s more, I wanted their blessing. Petite Soul has served it’s loyal patrons for years and we are excited to be able to jointly share the news that their beloved bonnet styles will now be offered by Briar.

So, what does this mean for Briar, and (more importantly) for you, our customers? Well, beginning this fall we will be offering The Briar Bébé collection. It will be a new, permanent fixture to our line of bonnets and feature stretch cotton bonnets in both classic and pixie styles from size newborn (!!!) to 2 years. We will carry a basics collection in these styles year round and offer special limited releases throughout the year, just as we currently do. Because of the fabrics and manufacturing processes (still proudly made in the USA), we will be able to offer this collection at a perfect “entry level bonnet” price point.

AND in early 2019 we will be launching the ever-popular sun hat with a full brim, for maximum coverage of face and shoulders.

So that’s it, folks! More bonnets to love, more happy mamas and babies, and a whole lot more fun here at Briar. We look forward to sharing our new line with you with sneak peeks coming soon, and really, really look forward to seeing our new bonnets on some tiny, round little noggins in the very near future.

 photo credit | mary grace