bristol was created in 2020 in the middle of a pandemic.

I’ve been a hat wearer for as long as I could remember. The inspiration for this accessory came from my grandmother Elaine—she was a hat lady. Especially on Sundays when she attended church. Her hats were never the traditional extravagant church hats, but clean, modern, and minimal. Because of her, I never saw hats as a “predominantly men’s” fashion until I got old enough to buy my own. Finding brands that sold hats made specifically for women was difficult. After years of purchasing men’s hats in my size, there was finally an influx of brands that sold women’s hats! Then I hit another obstacle: the advertising didn’t show women that looked like me, or how a hat might look on my curly Black fro. After having ample time to think about the world during COVID-19, and inspired by my own grandmother’s hat, I founded bristol. bristol is the reimagined brim, the reimagined legacy. I took something that was passed down to me and made something new— I hope you are inspired to do the same.

—Janay Nachel