We would like to welcome New Leucadia 101 Members, Friends of Friends Hat Co.! They currently have a Pop-Up space on the 101 at Wild Parrot (1208 N. Coast Hwy) and we popped into visit them last week and, of course, try on some hats! Below, the owners, Amy & Brett, answered some of our questions + shared with us some of their photos from a recent trip to Mexico to visit some of their hatmakers. Enjoy!
1. How did Friends of Friends get started?
I had a store in Venice for 4 years that was a shop local boutique with an event space in the back. I met Brett in 2017 and we started to sell hats from his family's hat company at my store before it was called Friends Of Friends.
2. Where did the name Friends of Friends come from?
Brett Simmons came up with it while surfing one day, we met through friends of friends at a dance party DTLA in 2017 and the name just made sense and stuck. We also include our friends and friends of friends in the creative aspects of our company, like photography, web design and upcycled hat bands!
3. What elements define Friends of Friends? Where did you draw inspiration from when designing your hats?
We get a lot of our design from travel - we both love to adventure to new places and countries and explore different cultures. Our first date (pretty much strangers!) was in Cuba.
4. Favorite travel destination and how is that reflected in your hats?
Most recently, Mexico City & San Miguel De Allende- which is where we get our Baja Collection plus the Paloma and Alma made by a 4th generation hat maker at a family owned factory that we just visited. You can view the story under our highlights on instagram called 'process'. We were also able to see the palm leaf weaving which makes us really appreciate our palm hats!
5. Why did you decide to open Friends of Friends in Leucadia? What’s your favorite part about owning a business in Leucadia?
We decided to open Friend Of Friends in Leucadia because this is where Brett was raised and currently lives and is a very special place to him. We love everything the people of Leucadia stands for, especially the efforts made by Leucadia 101 Main Street!
6. Perfect day and/or evening out in Leucadia?
I'm sure Brett and I's perfect day will vary so I'll let him write his own, haha! But my perfect day is if its a Sunday, it's a bike ride to the farmers market, swinging by Just Peachy on the way home before walking down to Grandview for a beach walk. Maybe even a treatment at Four Moons Spa. I also go to Haggo's more than I'd like to admit on.. almost a daily basis but more so to see my favorite gal Dia ;) Dinner spot: forever Fish 101 and Kai Ola.
Cheers Friends of Friends!
Make sure to follow them on Instagram @friendsof_friends_ , visit their website here, & visit them at the Wild Parrot Pop-Up!
