It’s that time of year again, where there is a shift in the seasons and we start preparing for the new year. As we get our kids ready for school, many of us have started to think about outfitting them with the right attire and helping them put their best foot forward. One outerwear brand with a mission of ensuring that children are confident and happy as well as stylish is Scotch Bonnet.
Scotch Bonnet is known for their attention to detail, fine craftsmanship, and high-quality materials such as down filling. The brand offers luxurious coats for both dressy and everyday wear, ranging from infant sizes to size 22. You can shop online at https://scotchbonnetnyc.com or at the numerous children’s boutiques that sell Scotch Bonnet coats. From elegantly designed dressy coats like the Urban Myth to the Pink Lemonade, a fun, bright, baby-pink coat with a playful, multi-colored, fur-trimmed hood, Scotch Bonnet has your kids covered.
I sat down with the owner of Scotch Bonnet to learn about the team behind the brand and their vision.
Michal Goldfein: What inspired you to start your brand, Scotch Bonnet?
We saw a need for nice quality coats at a fair price. We felt that the coats available to consumers were extremely pricey or really low-end. We also know how feeling good in what you are wearing can boost your self-confidence. When a boy or girl goes to school with a nice jacket, they feel confident. Keeping this in mind, we wanted to create coats that are beautifully crafted, warm, fashionable, and sharp. What you wear can impact your self-esteem, and we hope our coats give teens and kids that extra dose of confidence. Believe it or not, we have heard from many customers that their children have thrived socially after buying a Scotch Bonnet jacket. We want to give each and every person that opportunity at a price that doesn’t break the bank.
What is your brand most well-known for?
Our cool designs, fun fur colors, real fur, and complete down filling. Additionally, we back all our products, whether dealing with stores or dealing with customers.
Can you explain the name behind your brand?
A company name needs to be exciting, creative, and roll off the tongue smoothly. We tossed around hundreds of ideas. Some were boring, some made no sense, and some just didn’t feel right. When the name Scotch Bonnet came up, [it] just felt right. A Scotch Bonnet is a really hot pepper, and although a hot pepper has nothing to do with coats, it does bring to mind a mouth-watering, irresistible, flaming sensation. Our coats bring out that same irresistible, flaming hot, must-have sensation. Just like each bite of a Scotch Bonnet brings out a unique taste, each of our coats have their own unique taste and flavor.
In addition, the randomness of the name can allow room for growth. For example, when Amazon first started it was a bookstore – but imagine if Jeff Bezos would have called it Amazon Books. They would never have been able to expand to other things, and it would have limited them. As business owners we thought about our brand and sought ways to ensure its longevity. Our mantra has always been “Get creative, get exciting, and don’t be afraid.”
Your coats are made of elegant fabrication including down filling and real raccoon fur. Why are these elements so important?
We want our coats to be as warm and as fashionable as possible. A beautiful fur can change the whole coat. The fur makes the whole coat pop. Take for example the Quantum Leap coat, with its real raccoon fur dyed black, complementing the coat’s rich, chic, burgundy color. Creating coats with down filling is very important to us because making a coat that does not provide the proper warmth is unfair. We want our customers to rest assured that they do not have to sacrifice comfort or warmth when wearing our coats. Although people want to wear nice jackets, quality construction and fabrication is essential. At Scotch Bonnet we do not compromise on style, quality, wearability, or warmth.
I love your bomber jackets, like the Starry Night and the Galactic Traveler. Who comes up with the names for your products?
The naming of the products is a process that takes quite a while. When coming up with names, we try to bring out the personality of the coat. Although not every coat’s name tells an exact story, we garner inspiration from everything. It’s a team effort as we have quite a few products to name.
Your latest collection includes pieces such as the Midnight in Paris jacket, the Life Hacker, and other versatile girls’ coats. Where do you gain inspiration when creating a new collection?
We do a lot of thorough research about the latest trends and what’s in style and what’s not. We carefully select colors after a lengthy process of discussing, debating, researching, and exploring the many options. We have a team of designers who put their life and soul into making sure that we create coats with the most beautiful, high-end, on-trend colors and current styles. When picking out the upcoming styles we leave no stone unturned.
The Urban Explorer is a great new boys’ coat for Winter 2021; I personally love the seams on this coat that make it special but still sporty. What trends are you seeing for boys’ coats?
We are seeing that the boys like more of a clean look but will not mind a little bit of bells and whistles. Our boys’ coats are really clean and beautiful with a touch of cool vibes. A little bit of this and a little bit of that and you’ve got the most handsome young man feeling confident and ready to rock.
Your Marshmallow coat is one of my favorites, with its tones of blue on the fur trim and matching mittens. What makes a great baby’s coat?
A baby’s coat is very special to the mom and dad. There is something about seeing your child bundled up with a beyond cute winter coat. Our baby coats try to bring out that feeling, as we have adorable mittens, beautiful furs, and really cute colors. Take one look at your child after a snowy day, with red cheeks and snow dripping down on him while draped in a Scotch Bonnet coat, and you know that this may be the cutest they’ve ever looked.
Any little prince or princess would look regal and stylish in the Northern Star, a reversible fleece jacket. Can you explain what makes this jacket versatile and how it is designed?
If you are in the mood for the fleece look, we’ve got you covered. If you are in the mood for a classic, we’ve got you covered as well. This coat is designed in a way that allows you to reverse from fleece to classic in seconds. We put the label in the pocket because it’s a reversible coat and we don’t want it to show.
What are your goals for the future of your brand?
With G-d’s help we would like to continue to keep our customers happy. We are constantly striving to reach an even broader customer base while staying true to our brand.