Hats off to Summer
Local businesses are at the heart of our communities, and in these challenging times they desperately need our support.
There are the obvious reasons why, namely, when you purchase at locally owned businesses more money is kept in the community, but also consider that a lot of these business owners are donating to the local communities who are in need of support. Then there’s the reality that the environmental impact is reduced, customer service and support is more personalised, and 98.5% of the country's economy is made up of small and medium-sized enterprises.
Furthermore, the selection of local South African brands we have access to is rather astounding.
It’s just the obvious choice
The global pandemic has been a very uncertain time for all, but one thing it definitely has influenced is the creative genius in all of us.
From spending more time outdoors with the kids, to taking up baking as a hobby, and some even doing their yoga classes online. And then of course we have those entrepreneurial souls that have decided to follow a passion and start a new business. There are so many creative new brands popping up and they are creating some remarkable products.
Freya Hats was just that, a brilliant new covid start up. Owner, Stephanie, decided to put her skills, which had been taught by her mother, to task. She gathered some fabric scraps and discontinued fabric sample books and started sewing, at first making napkins, bags, dresses and hats just for the fun of it. When she noticed that family and friends loved the products so much, Stephanie decided to start selling on Instagram, and that was just the beginning for Freya Hats.
I guess we can assume that hats have been around since, well, heads have been around.
Stephanie decided she would sell the products to help raise much needed funds for charity organisations in South Africa, while she had some available time on her hands. The project took off quite swimmingly and she has managed to expand her ranges and is still donating a percentage of the proceeds to charities including CORA, who support girls and women from underprivileged communities.
Freya Hats also supports the slow fashion movement and create ethical fashion pieces with a purpose, with each hat being produced from sustainably sourced fabric or fabric which otherwise would have been discarded, so they’re doing their bit to save the planet, not that you needed more reasons to buy one. Not to be outdone by their good looks, these modern-day hats are hard working too. Many sunhats these days have a UPF 50+ rating, meaning they block 98% of the sun’s ultraviolet rays and provide ultimate sun protection.
Another trump card here is that the hats are made in small batches or are once-off, so you’ll have a hat that’s rather unique. I think all brands should be incorporating sustainable packaging into their orders, and Freya Hats does just that. Each hat is packaged in a custom-made drawstring bag which is reusable and plastic-free.
Hats off to another extraordinary and sustainable local brand, we can’t wait to see where Freya Hats ventures to next. And talking about ventures, you may just see me flaunting my new favourite Freya Hat on safari soon.
Freya Hats SHOP