The Beaufort Bonnet Company all started with a gift. More specifically, a pink and white gingham bonnet for Markey Hutchinson’s newborn daughter. “It was perfect for holidays, but the true magic of this little bonnet was that it made every day a gift,” she remembers. After receiving countless compliments, Hutchinson decided to make the jump and buy the heirloom bonnet pattern. The vision for her coveted lifestyle brand, The Beaufort Bonnet Company, has since blossomed.

Today, the children’s lifestyle brand is known for its classic silhouettes with darling details. These heirloom-quality pieces allow mothers to dress their little ones up for any and every occasion, whether it be a sunny walk down Main Street or a Fourth of July vacation. “We remind her to embrace babyhood and make childhood special; we gently warn her that time is a thief and babies don’t keep,” Hutchinson adds. Here, the founder gives a closer look into this year’s Preppy Patriot Collection, as well as a Nantucket-inspired print and more.

What makes The Beaufort Bonnet Company stand out from other children’s boutique brands?

Our commitment to embracing babyhood and childhood is really unique in our current competitive landscape. It’s truly such a fleeting time in life—there are only so many summers they can wear bonnets and sunsuits or bubbles. We believe in embracing each stage of babyhood and childhood and making it extra sweet.

Who is The Beaufort Bonnet Company parent?

She loves the quality and the sweetness of our classic silhouettes and darling designs. She is drawn to The Beaufort Bonnet Company because of our commitment to classic, traditional and vintage-prep styles. She wants to make babyhood and childhood sweet for her little ones. She believes in celebrating the little moments because she knows that they become big memories.

Tell me more about the Americana Preppy Patriot Collection for 2024.

Every spring, we release a Preppy Patriot collection. As a children’s clothing brand, we know how important special occasions are. Whether it’s Easter, Christmas or the Fourth of July, we want to make sure our customers have the ingredients they need to make family time extra sweet.

This year, our collection features America’s Birthday Bows, Chesapeake Bay Boats and Fairfield Fish as our main prints. We also have two stripes: Saddle Ridge Stripe and Kennedy Stripe. Our America’s Birthday Bows print features vertical bows that are in our signature colors—this print is the perfect way to “put a bow” on Memorial Day or Fourth of July festivities. Our Chesapeake Bay Boats print features blue sailboats—it’s sweet summertime perfection. Fairfield Fish is a classic nautical print featuring navy and white fish. Our classic stripes round out the collection—making it Americana perfection.

Hydrangeas are very popular on Nantucket. Tell me more about the Happiest Hydrangeas print.

We had a photoshoot in Nantucket, and this print was inspired by all the blue blooms that became the backdrop for our collection.

What’s new for the company this summer and beyond?

We have stores in Miramar Beach and Sarasota, Florida, and Kiawah Island, South Carolina. In 2024, we opened stores in Fairfax, Virginia, and Houston, Texas.