I don't pay serious mind to "calendar time". I actually would much rather go off the seasons and let the Winter Solstice be my New Year. Yet, I am a sucker for fresh starts so I will dwell in this New Year's glow with the rest of most humans. What was 2016? It felt emotional, not as much personally but it seemed the collective affected me personally. The last year brought a lot up for me around how we live, what we do, what we say, how we act, and how that impacts the greater whole. Blowfish Designs is intertwined with all these queries.
As a business owner I feel there is a great need to be personally responsible for how we build a product, what we do to sell it, who we support on the journey to making that product, what the point is of it, and then what we do with the profit. I paid closer attention to these processes as we whizzed through 2016 and made some changes such as getting some hats 100% manufactured in the U.S. , working with small artists to make prints, continuing our support in of our stay at home mom sewing team, & donating to non- profits that take care of the natural world and our communities. These are seeds of who we want to be as a company. We continue to be conscious of our footprint, be mindful of our purpose, and give back when we can (for a small business this last one can be a challenge but it is absolutely imperative). The fact that each hat is either hand stitched or carefully produced in small batches means there is a story behind each hat, just as there is a story behind so many of us. These stories feed us and feed our idea behind this company.
So what is our purpose? Telling stories, connection to what you wear and buy, adventures, vibrant creativity, supporting the small are all part of the mission. I know it may seem frivolous but we do want our hats worn outside in nature as a not only a tool to express our personal styles but also to put you out in these natural places so you can connect and feel the resonance of what it means to appreciate the mountains, the oceans, the rivers, the people gathering at a music festival celebrating, and so so much more. These types of actions not only bring us closer to each other but I think they bring us closer to connecting the dots of how to be a natural steward in the world and in our communities. We greatly look forward to expanding on this in 2017 by working with our hands to make new hats for you to explore in and supporting other small businesses in their journey to connect the dots as well.
As always, we are looking for artists to collaborate with, ideas, businesses or organizations who need hats to broadcast their missions with. Reach out any time and tell us your story.
Thanks for swimming in this ocean with us. Last year was wild, but this year gives us another chance to get involved, make changes, and have the courage to explore near and far.
Photo Cred: Susan Redstone and model Jayla Burch