B.M. Franklin & Company
How did you become a hat lover?
I became a hat lover from my passion for quality, craftsmanship, and heritage. Working at Ralph Lauren sparked and fueled that passion. After my experience there, I ventured out to find something a bit more hands-on and less mainstream. I began working for Worth & Worth, one of the oldest hat-makers in NYC and the country. My passion for history was re-ignited and in a tangible way. From the age-old tools to the vintage collateral and marketing material, W&W had it all. It was a blessing to work there as it allowed hone my appreciation for the craft and develop a skill at the same time. Looking to the history as well as to its future, every aspect of the headwear industry is what I root all my love of hats on.
What project has made you the proudest?
My proudest project is opening a 1000+ sq/ft storefront in Atlanta, a brand new city to me. Other than that, I would have to say working with the show Boardwalk Empire to produce and renovate the majority of their hats for the show was a big highlight.
You recently opened a second store in Buckhead Atlanta; why Atlanta and how is business going so far during this pandemic?
It was a God-given opportunity that we could not pass up. The city is known for being “The New York” of the south. As a New Yorker that sounded blasphemous to me at first, and then I started to meet all these New Yorkers who either have been down here or just got here, and it felt like home for a bit. Atlanta is Wakanda, Black Hollywood, Black Wall Street…I could keep going, but the community as a city is incredibly supportive, inclusive, and majority black. It makes you feel like you’re not in a city sometimes, which can keep someone very motivated to keep rising. Business is booming, and we’re looking forward to spring and what God has in store for us for the rest of the year.
What projects are you currently working on?
Currently, we're working on a few projects involving television shows, co-branded collaborations, and building out The Franklin School of Craft, which aims to bring back the art of the handmade to our (black and brown) under-served youth. I impact my community: by sharing knowledge, spreading knowledge, and it starts with our youth. Teach them to take the skills we're giving them and create ways for them to collaborate. But, of course, re-building our communal infrastructure as black and brown people is the top project.
I just competed in the U&NITY Hatters verus battle with Herbin Co on 6th May, which was live streamed. With the aim of:
EDUCATION - To share the culture and craft while providing an experience.
CELEBRATION - To showcase black crafters and creators coming together.
How did you conceive the idea for a Hatters Battle?
The Hatter’s Versus was conceived because Trey and I wanted to show the world and we will continue to that we are stronger in numbers. As of now, we are the only commercial hat-makers that make custom pieces in the Atlanta area. Despite being in the same industry, we are leading by example. Two young, black business-owning creatives should be working together. It went better than what we could have planned, and there will be another. Competition keeps us separate and keeps us small in spirit, business, and mindset.
I love the U&NITY concept; what have you learned during your collaboration with Herb Rhedrick?
Thank you. I have learned from working with Herbin Co. that there are enough heads in the world for both of us and hundreds more to cover. The U&NITY concept should be felt throughout, and we staged this as a versus to get your attention. It’s also very refreshing to work with someone who loves the craft as much as you do. Creatively collaborating on this collection really helped us to think further outside of the box than we already are. We hope to inspire other people of color to collaborate with others in their industries through this growing concept.
Where do you get your inspiration from?
I get my inspiration from life. I know it sounds cliche, but client’s stories, energies, and overall vibes give me the motivation to create for them. If a client isn’t involved, I get inspired by my own life’s stories, nature, city, history, and anything that touches me, to be honest. It’s a bevy of things that can, have, and will get me going.
What do you love most about making things with your hands?
I love most, the control of making things with my hands. The control over the quality, design, time it takes to create/make, control over emotions, and the ability to zone out on my own accord, amongst other things, are a few reasons why I like making things… It basically boils down to me being a low-key control freak.
Describe your creative process, from start to finish. Any challenges along the way?
My creative process is very fluid. I begin mostly from a classic silhouette, carefully crafted to ensure durability and longevity. From there, I try to tell a story through meaningful and sometimes subtle details. As far as challenges along the way, we all experience some, but without them, there would be no type of journey, or you hadn’t given yourself the time actually to be creative. Unfortunately, sometimes we tend to move a bit too quickly in our process and lose sight of the creation’s reason.
How has social media influenced your business journey?
Social Media has dramatically influenced our business and also encouraged us over the years to share our craft. It was hard at first to share something so near and dear to you with the world, based on the fear of judgment. But, social media has encouraged us to keep going, and it keeps us inspired and ironically focused. It also allowed us to touch people outside of our direct network and vice-versa.
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