We recently connected with Taylor Bratton and have shared our conversation below.
Taylor, thanks for taking the time to share your stories with us today What do you think Corporate America gets wrong in your industry?
Corporate America may sometimes prioritize profit over other factors, such as sustainability, ethical sourcing, and the well-being of their employees and customers. They may also be more focused on mass-produced, generic products rather than unique, high-quality items. Additionally, they may be more focused on following trends and meeting market demands rather than encouraging individuality and self-expression. We see this style of business most often with fast-fashion companies. This production process often involves the use of low-quality, cheap materials, as well as cheap labor in developing countries. The clothing is then sold at low prices, encouraging consumers to buy more and dispose of their clothing quickly. The production of fast fashion clothing generates a large amount of waste and pollution, both in the manufacturing process and in the disposal of the clothing. The cheap materials used in fast fashion clothing are not durable and often break down quickly, contributing to the problem of textile waste. In addition, the low prices of fast fashion clothing encourage a disposable culture, in which consumers are encouraged to buy more and throw away their clothing quickly. This contributes to the problem of overconsumption and waste, as well as contributing to the proliferation of cheap, low-quality clothing.
Great, appreciate you sharing that with us. Before we ask you to share more of your insights, can you take a moment to introduce yourself and how you got to where you are today to our readers
My name is Taylor Bratton, the founder and designer behind Hippie Hued the Label. Fashion has always been my easiest form of self expression. My love for fashion runs as far back as when I designed my own purse line at the age of 6 years old. As I began to study the industry, I learned about the horrible impacts that fast fashion has on our planet. Deep down I knew that there had to be another way to do it, and if I could figure out my unique footprint, then not only would I be pushing the industry in a new direction but I could also create a brand that people would feel good to wear. So three years ago, when the time was right for me, I started Hippie Hued. Hippie Hued was founded from a free-spirited and instinctive design perspective, to offer original, one-of-a-kind pieces with a sustainable mindset. We are for the non-conformist. The person that wants to be bold, mixing colors, patterns and styles. Untypical from most designers, at hippie hued we are inspired through reviving and creating a new life from preexisting materials. Hippie hued finds value in transparency- through sharing the journey of reworked pieces from start to finish. Hippie Hued created and continues to build a community through our social media presence. Our customers find inspiration through our tik tok and Instagram, which provide styling ideas, sewing tutorials, and sustainability insights. We let our community be the decision makers and the drivers toward our future. Our goal is to bring awareness to the fast-fashion crisis and show our customers that they are not only being sustainable but developing a style that is personal, eccentric, fashion-forward, colorful, and innovative to them, that cannot be replicated.
Can you talk to us about manufacturing? How’d you figure it all out? We’d love to hear the story.
Hippie Hued is known for our upcycled, one-of-a-kind pieces that we produce in-house. All of the materials are sourced at the thrift store, redesigned using procreate, then sewn by me and my only employee and best friend, Marisa. We work on a drop schedule, sewing on average 10-20 new designs that are featured biweekly on our site. The reclaimed pieces sell almost instantly, and with only 2 of us sewing, it makes it difficult to provide additional inventory for our customers. This is why I added the collections “hand-picked by Hippie Hued” and “Drippy Hippie Merch”. Hand-picked is a collection of clothing that comes in various sizes. I supply these pieces by going to market and carefully selecting styles that speak to our personal style at Hippie Hued. Our merch includes styles like hoodies, hats, t-shirts, sweatpants, etc that are either screen printed or embroidered. I design all of the graphics myself, and then I have a manufacturer that does the printing and embroidery. Where my focus lies, and where I’m most passionate, is the upcycling side of the business. Outside manufacturing for upcycled clothing is almost unheard of, but brands are slowly starting to surface that are doing it successfully. I am learning and researching every chance I get to expand this side of the business. Nothing good comes easy, and I am eager to scale something as important as reducing our carbon footprint by upcycling. I’m excited to see where the journey takes me.
We’d love to hear the story of how you turned a side-hustle into a something much bigger.
Fashion has been the greatest form of self-expression throughout my entire life, and creativity is my strongest asset. When deciding my major in college I had to choose between two creative paths that I’ve always enjoyed, Interior design or Fashion Design. I initially chose Interior Design and came to realize after the first year that I wanted to pursue fashion instead. I decided to make the switch without any prior knowledge or experience in sewing. In my new studies, I was enlightened by the damaging costs that fashion can have on our environment. Knowing this and having the desire to create, I decided to launch my side hustle called “Tailored by Taylor”. I sourced previously unwanted items from thrift stores around Columbia, MO, and made them into one-of-a-kind designs! At the time, I didn’t realize that this small idea would end up becoming my full-time career, but I knew that I had a lot of enjoyment and fulfillment in doing it. Success quickly followed as the drops sold out instantly after I posted them on Instagram. That’s when I knew this could be something bigger than just a side hustle. After graduating, I decided to pause TbyT, and focus on working a more corporate fashion job to grow my knowledge of the industry. I got a job as a sales associate/designer at a men’s custom and bespoke clothing company in Chicago. I was about a year in when the pandemic hit, and on top of not entirely loving the job, I also knew that people were most likely not going to be purchasing custom suits during a stay-at-home lockdown. I took that as a sign that it was time to turn my side hustle, Tailored by Taylor, and make it a full-time career. I took about 2 months to take all the necessary steps to research, create, and launch my now successful business – Hippie Hued! I went from selling strictly through social media to building a new website for my store. I used my past following of about 1.5k followers on Tailored by Taylor’s Instagram and marketed the new concept of Hippie Hued which now has 11.4k followers and a tik tok that now has 154k followers in 2.5 years. I believe I was able to grow my following by staying true to my personal style, and not conforming to what is “trendy”. I was able to grow without spending money on marketing, but instead posting content that put Hippie Hued in the eyes of millions of people. My advice for people wanting to start a business would be there is never a “perfect” time to start. You don’t want to miss out on an opportunity because you weren’t confident in your knowledge or skill set. I started as a designer, and with time learned how to wear all of the different hats that come with being the owner of a business. You will learn as you go and can continue to alter your brand as you receive feedback. There are so many resources out there to get you started and keep you going – take that as your advantage and follow your dreams!
Contact Info:
- Website: Hippiehued.com
- Instagram: @hippiehuedthelabel
- Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/hippiehuedthelabel
- Linkedin: https://www.linkedin.com/in/taylor-bratton-647a75109/
- Other: Tiktok: @hippiehued