I’ve been a hat girl 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 mens” fashion until I got old enough to buy my own hats, and I found it difficult to find brands that sold hats made specifically for women. After years of purchasing mens hats in my size, there was finally an influx of brands that sold women hats! But then I hit another obstacle: the advertising didn’t show women that looked like me, or showed how a hat might look on my curly Black fro. After having ample time to think about the world, what I wanted and didn’t have specific access to during the COVID-19 pandemic, I came up with bristol. A hat company designed by a Black woman—bristol hats feature silk interiors to protect natural curls from breakage. Representation matters. Here's to bristol wearers.