I was born with very little  hair on my head, which made me an instant fashionista. How?  Mom always had me wear a baby bonnet, so people would instantly recognize that I was a girl!

Mary and Janie of yesteryear

Now, thanks to celebrity moms like Sarah Jessica Parker, baby bonnets are all that and more, which puts Susu & John‘s baby bonnets, buckets hats and clothing in the spotlight.

Mother-daughter team Mary Patrick and Janie Brooks McQueen marketed their products all the way to People magazine and E! online’s Fashion Police in less than a year with a company slogan, Made to be worn.  “Our bonnets are based on an original heirloom pattern with humble beginnings – the pattern was actually cut from plain brown wrapping paper,” says Janie. It is Mary who ran across the generations-old pattern one day in Spring 2009 and decided to try updating it with designer fabrics. Bu there’s no fussiness here.

According to Janie, people are returning to classic tastes and basics due to the country’s economic climate, and Susu & John has found a way to bring back the traditional baby look using trendy fabrics and very practical materials. “Not only are most of our pieces reversible, but they’re machine washable,” Janie says.

Plus, they’re stylish sunscreen. “Our bonnets also  protect baby’s delicate skin, and in a much more fashionable way than the frumpy sun hats you see too often,” Mary says. “They make a beautiful baby gift because of the impeccable quality and workmanship, but they’re easy on the parents because they’re so easy-care.”

The small company based in Beaufort, SC has really  grown in less than a year, repped by Larry Lucas in the Southeast and Cathy Downey in the Midwest. Product is handmade in the USA. Employing Janie’s infant twins Sophia and Susannah (Susu), with John Lathan as models, Mary and Janie came up with their first bonnet collection, which quickly drew a buzz in Beaufort. Eventually they added a boy’s bucket hat with the unique button-all-round feature, too.

Who knew that baby bonnets would become today’s retro fav?

-Janet Muniz