Susu & John owners Mary Patrick and Janie Brooks McQueen showing their early affinity for hats and bonnets. St. Louis, 1967.
Bio
Photo: Mary Patrick and daughter Janie Brooks McQueen today--not wearing hats but making a ton of them for babies and toddlers. Beaufort, SC, 2009.
Susu & John co-owner Mary Patrick of Beaufort, SC had sewn for family and friends for over 40 years before she got the idea to make and sell a unique baby bonnet based on a family heirloom pattern. Her daughter Janie Brooks McQueen was a natural business partner, with a background in journalism and PR, and experience with small business startup through her publishing company Fine Lines. Janie now lives in Roswell, Georgia with husband Josh and four children, but grew up in Beaufort. The two decided to name the bonnet The Beaufort Button Bonnet in honor of their charming coastal town (which brings added interest as the location of many Hollywood movies including The Big Chill).
Employing Janie's infant twins Sophia Susannah (Susu) and John Lathan as models, Mary and Janie came up with their first bonnet collection, which quickly drew a buzz in Beaufort. Realizing baby boys need sun-cover and style too, they added a boy's bucket hat with the unique button-all-round feature, and named it the Beaufort Button Bucket. The website Janie created started drawing interest from other parts of the country, and the young line soon landed in the Atlanta handcrafter's boutique Beehive Co-op, and consequently in prestigious style e-newsletter Daily Candy (Kids Atlanta version).
After a splashy feature in the Hilton Head Island Packet in August 2009 and inquiries from retail stores , the company was ready to seek a manufacturer's rep and soon landed a big fish in the children's apparel and gift industry, Larry Lucas . More demand required outsourcing help fast, and Mary quickly found wonderful sewing talent right in Beaufort County. Susu & John now employs a sewing team of three and remains committed to not only producing their products in the USA, but in the South Carolina Lowcountry.
Susu & John recently gained a Midwest rep in retail industry veteran Cathy Downey , who is based in suburban Chicago and covers 11 states. A new fall/winter collection debuted this spring, though the entire line is sold year 'round as a popular baby gift. Coordinating reversible diaper covers have been added to the line and sell almost as briskly as the bonnets and hats. Plans for designs for older children are in the works.
Janie McQueen, a seasoned media veteran, is the spokesperson for the company and has been featured in many print articles as well as the Chicago-based Internet radio show The Mommy Mentor. She is also the author of The New Magic Bookshelf: Finding Great Books Your Child Will Treasure Forever, which was featured (in its original edition) in Parenting's Baby Talk and the Los Angeles Times Book Review. The mother of four--older boys Riley, 12, and Thomas, 10, and 1-year-old twins Susu & John--is closely tied to the "Momtrepreneur" community and is frequently called on to weigh in on challenges and strategies of raising a family while running a business. To contact her, please e-mail janie@susuandjohn.com or call 678-226-1220 for interviews and information any time.
Recent Press
Traditional Baby Bonnet is Back, Thanks to Hollywood
“People” dubs newcomer Susu & John’s baby bonnets “mini must-haves”
ATLANTA, March 30, 2010--Want your special baby to dress like style maven
Sarah Jessica Parker's little fashionistas?
For Media who want to know about fashion trends, Susu & John's baby
bonnets, hats and clothing, which are handmade in the South, are a hot
property since the Broderick twins were spotted wearing Susu & John
Beaufort Button Bonnets in NYC last week.
Learn all about the bonnet's unusual origins and how a mother-daughter
team marketed them all the way to People magazine and E! online’s “Fashion
Police” in less than a year. "Our bonnets are based on an original
heirloom pattern with humble beginnings--the pattern was actually cut from
plain brown wrapping paper," said Susu & John co-owner Janie McQueen,
whose mother and business partner, Mary Patrick, ran across the
generations-old pattern one day in Spring 2009 and decided to try updating
it with designer fabrics.
In this challenging economy, where people are returning to classic tastes and
basics, 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," notes
McQueen. In fact, to differentiate themselves from the overly fussy
"traditional heirloom" bonnets on the market, the company's slogan is
"Made to be worn."
"Our bonnets make every baby look adorable, as a baby should--but more
than that, they protect baby's delicate skin, and in a much more
fashionable way than the frumpy sun hats you see too often," Patrick said.
"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 Broderick twins spotting is not the only celebrity attention Susu &
John has received: actress Blythe Danner's niece Hillary carries the line
in her trendy L.A. boutique, Root Studio 66.
Many Susu & John retailers are monogramming them too, as the ultimate
personalized--yet practical and affordable--baby gift. McQueen and Patrick
insist their products always be made in the USA, of the highest quality
materials, so that babies can return to looking like babies--stylishly,
and responsibly.
A cool-weather line hits trade shows next month, featuring hats of pinwale
corduroy, soft flannel and denim, with matching boys' trousers and
reversible jumpers.
FOR MORE INFORMATION, CONTACT JANIE MCQUEEN AT 678-226-1220 OR
JANIE@SUSUANDJOHN.COM. A MEDIA KIT CAN BE FOUND ON THE WEBSITE AT
WWW.SUSUANDJOHN.COM. THE MEDIA ARE WELCOME TO USE ANY IMAGES AND INFO ON
THE SITE.
