THE STORY
It all started with a simple black hat. My best friend gave me my first fedora and little did I know, that little black hat would be the start of Bones. I wore that fedora every chance I got. It saw the mountains of Colorado, beaches of Florida, lights of Vegas, and everywhere in between.
While on these trips, I found myself collecting accessories from each place and adding them to the hat. I was drawn to things such as gems, feathers, bar matches, stones and exotic prints that spoke to the place I was visiting. I have always been creative when it comes to fashion and style. When I was younger I would use my basement as my own personal design studio where I would bleach and sand my own pants to get the design I wanted on them. My mom wasn’t thrilled with the leftover mess, but I saved us hundreds of dollars by making them myself, so she allowed the chaos to ensue. Hats were no different. I took that same mindset and bleached a black bandana and turned a simple black hat into a signature black hat. I soon became known as “the girl in the hat” and this is where the story really begins.
I first began buying basic hats, with no details on them, and would go find things that spoke to me to bring the hat to life. I then sat at my kitchen table, with a glass of whiskey and a good song, of course, and crafted these visions to life. After a few months of wearing these freshly designed hats around town, and having people asking where I got them, I decided I wanted to know more about the hat making process. I started small by working at a hat shop in Austin where I learned about materials, different shapes, sizing, you name it.
However, something was still missing. I would find myself buying hats from the shop and taking them home to add the “Bones” flair to them. Fast forward sometime and my good friend asked me ” What do you need to do this on your own.” That question sparked everything.
I had never thought about actually owning my own shop or what it would take to turn my hobby into a career, but I knew I had a craving for the art and decided I wanted this to not only be a hobby, but a business.
After months of meetings and brainstorming ideas, Bones Customs was formed in January 2020 with the goal of making not just an accessory, but a statement, a hand- crafted reflection of the person wearing it.
While on these trips, I found myself collecting accessories from each place and adding them to the hat. I was drawn to things such as gems, feathers, bar matches, stones and exotic prints that spoke to the place I was visiting. I have always been creative when it comes to fashion and style. When I was younger I would use my basement as my own personal design studio where I would bleach and sand my own pants to get the design I wanted on them. My mom wasn’t thrilled with the leftover mess, but I saved us hundreds of dollars by making them myself, so she allowed the chaos to ensue. Hats were no different. I took that same mindset and bleached a black bandana and turned a simple black hat into a signature black hat. I soon became known as “the girl in the hat” and this is where the story really begins.
I first began buying basic hats, with no details on them, and would go find things that spoke to me to bring the hat to life. I then sat at my kitchen table, with a glass of whiskey and a good song, of course, and crafted these visions to life. After a few months of wearing these freshly designed hats around town, and having people asking where I got them, I decided I wanted to know more about the hat making process. I started small by working at a hat shop in Austin where I learned about materials, different shapes, sizing, you name it.
However, something was still missing. I would find myself buying hats from the shop and taking them home to add the “Bones” flair to them. Fast forward sometime and my good friend asked me ” What do you need to do this on your own.” That question sparked everything.
I had never thought about actually owning my own shop or what it would take to turn my hobby into a career, but I knew I had a craving for the art and decided I wanted this to not only be a hobby, but a business.
After months of meetings and brainstorming ideas, Bones Customs was formed in January 2020 with the goal of making not just an accessory, but a statement, a hand- crafted reflection of the person wearing it.
THE MAKER
MARANDA "M" MILIA
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