We recently connected with Rosondra Franklin and have shared our conversation below.

Rosondra, thanks for joining us, excited to have you contributing your stories and insights. So, naming is such a challenge. How did you come up with the name of your brand?

One evening I was at my close friend Danielle house having what we call “Shug Tuesday”. On this day after dinner we were discussing what my business name was going to be. I told her “I do not have a name just yet but I do know how I want the logo”. As I was describing how I wanted a wide brim and some glasses under the brim and Danielle said, “that’s it! That should be the name” and I am still in design mode so I’m looking at her like huh! and she says, “Under the Brim should be the name of your business”. It then clicked and I said, “you are absolutely correct”! From then on I have been rolling with Under the Brim, I am thinking to add my initials to make a little more tailored to me.

Rosondra, before we move on to more of these sorts of questions, can you take some time to bring our readers up to speed on you and what you do?

I am Rosondra Franklin from Dallas, TX with a passion for hats and glasses. I got into the industry by a couple of pushes and nudges from my close friends. They are my biggest supporters, encouragers and blessings. Without them and the confirmation from God, I would not have gotten to experience the joys I get from assisting and meeting great people.

Frames have been my “accessory” since I was 7 years of age due to me needing corrective lenses. In the late 90’s there were only wired circle frames that did not bring much style to clothing until early 2000’s or should I say when I started purchasing my own corrective lenses. I would purchase six pair at a time and coordinate the frames with a hats (trucker or fedora) on bad hair days until I started getting more compliments on the way I styled my hats and frames I would wear just about any and every where. After receiving so many inquires and compliments along with the nudges to start a business on what I love and have knowledge about brings me joy in representing Under the Brim.

I have not met one person who has came to my table at any event unsatisfied and for that, I am GRATEFUL! All of the customers I have come in contact with love the unique frames, the creative saying that are on the trucker hats and how wide the brims are on the fedoras. I’ve had some come by and say “Oh these frames too fancy for me” and then I will pick out a frame that fits their personality and then he/she end up loving the frame asking me to pick them out another pair. Most say they are not hat people or hats do not look good on them until they try it on.

I am honored to have the opportunity to meet and assist every customer in person and virtually. It is my propose to greet each of you with a smile and make you smile with confidence with or without a purchase.

We’d love to hear about how you keep in touch with clients.

I will say every client I have is phenomenal! There is no Under the Brim without them, I must say because they keep me going and I love the energy they bring when they put on a pair of glasses, a brim or a trucker.

The products that I carry are limited and branded. I try not to order the same items or create the same item more than three of four times to keep the authentic creation appealing to the eye of the viewers. For hats (truckers and fedoras) that need a little extra touch of bling, feathers, appliques, etc. to give them the pop. As one of my customers/cousin say “add some SUGA to it”. LOL!

I do not feel that pictures do my products justice which is why I enjoy doing pop-ups so people can see, try-on and take the product with them verses waiting for them in the mail or just going by what I say because my taste may not be their taste and some, like myself, would like to see it on before making a purchase and that is perfectly fine with me.

I always put myself in the clients/ customer place to have that comfortability to sell and purchase. Its more than just a sell for me, its a connection to confidence and fulfillment of a smile on their faces when they feel the product fits their unique style.

We often hear about learning lessons – but just as important is unlearning lessons. Have you ever had to unlearn a lesson?

I had to learn fast that everyone is not going to like what you like and that is ok because that is what makes you, YOU. I made up twenty trucker hats that I liked and only sold three. My feelings were hurt because I just knew those hats were going to be gone in one setting but nope I had those hats for three months. I had to figure out a way to get them gone so I added bling to them and luckily they sold at a cheer competition.

I learned to really see what was selling in the market and listened to the comments that were being made about the interest of what the people like to wear. I then took to saying and place those on hats. Most people wear what they feel or what they want to say and now I cannot keep enough truckers on hand and I am very pleased about that.

It is never about you. Its about what the people want and like.

Contact Info:

• Instagram: @_under_the_brim_ref