Our top selling accessory to date has been the hats from the lovely duo behind Freya brand. Since the hats have been such a SHOWROOM favorite that we have restocked them THREE (!) times, we want you to get to know Lindsay McConnon and Linsay Radcliffe, that is Freya.
How did Freya come about?
We both really just love hats as an accessory and sun protection. We started off trying to solve the problem of how to travel with multiple hats and we invented our Poppy Hat Box which we produced with Italian leather artisans. Within 3 months of launching that collection, we were deep into experimenting with designing our own hats. We loved the creative process and felt like there was so much opportunity to infuse individuality, artisanship and style into the hat market. Four years later, it turns out that hats have become the largest and most exciting part of our business.
What is our creative process?
We really never stop creating - so we don't think of product development and design as something that happens in unique time periods or cycles. Instead, we spend time every week discussing new ideas based on inspiration we've had. We have an ongoing cue of new hat designs and then we later consider how to merchandise them together and when to launch and show them to customers. Our goal is that women consider their hats as a unique aspect of their fashion style, rather than a generic fashion accessory. We intentionally have a wealth of styles to choose from because we want women to feel unique and different - and that they can wear so many different hats - both literally and figuratively!
Which hats are your favorite?
We have so much fun with the hand-dying process and love that the palm straw fibers in our hats function with dye similar to cotton or other wearable fabrications. We continue to experiment with hand-dying techniques like those reflected in our Azalea collection where the hat is delicately dipped into a vat of organic dye on both sides leaving a white, asymmetrical undyed stripe in the middle. We continue to experiment with asymmetrical designs, like our Sunrise collection which features tonal stripes that extend from the center of the hat across one brim. Next season, the asymmetry of our designs and these hand-dyed processes will take new forms in our Oleander and Peony collections.
What makes a hat the perfect accessory?
Hats really are the ticket to maintaining healthy, youthful skin, so that's a pretty useful accessory in our book. Moreover, when a woman (or man) enters a room wearing a great hat, they exude confidence - it adds to their stature and provides an outstanding, memorable silhouette. What other accessory instantly grabs attention like a great hat?
Going into fall, what is the inspiration for your next collection?
We view our Fall collection as an extension of our deepest desire to find freedom from the constraints of covid through spending unencumbered time outdoors. Whereas we've traditionally found travel to be a great source of inspiration, we turned to our notions of the American West and grounded our collection in color palettes reminiscent of these destinations. We merged subtle nods to traditional Western culture with hints of exotic glamour, as reflected in hats like our Ponderosa, a rich coffee cowgirl style decorated with Turkish brass beads and a pheasant feather.
Shop the entire Freya edit here