New Year, New TBB

Happy New Year, Babes! There's been so much happening behind the scenes the last few months, I cant wait to share it all with you! However, before I let you in on the excitement and outlook for the brand over the coming year, I want to take a moment to celebrate everything that happened in 2024 and thank each and every one of you for being a part of this journey!

In 2024 The Belated Beatnik...

Cut each collection release in half, lowering the average number of pieces released from thirteen to about seven! Though this may not seem exciting or even worthy of celebrating to you as a consumer, to TBB it was a huge relief! With fast fashion companies releasing new collections every month or even week, it's difficult as a small business to not get caught up in the rat race and try to keep up by releasing as many new things as I can. Realizing I was only burning myself out and deciding to cut back has been an awesome feeling! Now, I have more time to focus on the quality of my designs and enjoy the creative process.

TBB is slowly but surely changing fabric suppliers. I've always made sure to stay true to my pledge of sustainability by purchasing fabric in small quantities and using as much deadstock as I have access too. Over the last six months, I've prioritized finding higher quality fabrics that still allow me to purchase in small quantities .

I also prioritized the TBB Instagram page and grew to over 1,000 followers! This may seem like a small fish in the vast sea of the internet, but if over 1,000 of you showed up in person I would be completely overwhelmed! I also hosted TBB's first ever giveaway with the help of my brand ambassador, the fantastic @emmarosakatharina !

Speaking of Emma, I also had in incredible opportunity to create the first ever TBB wedding dress for her wedding! In January, Emma reached out to me and asked if I would be interested in making her dress. My first thought was a solid, "No." But not wanting to miss an opportunity and disappoint Emma I asked her to send me a picture of what she was wanting and I would let her know if it was within my skill set. To my delight, she sent pictures of Sharon Tate's wedding attire!

I was utterly ecstatic! Not only is the Tate dress one of my favorite wedding looks in history, I had previously created a pattern for the dress for my own enjoyment so all I had to do was tailor the pattern I'd previously created! The dress had recently been put up for auction and I was able to use the photos as reference to get all the little details right.

We decided to fashion Emma's version of the dress after the way the dress looks now in its present condition rather than the way it was worn on Sharon's wedding day. The most noticeable difference being the added blue ribbons. No one seems to know exactly why these ribbons were added, but it's believed Sharon had them added to to the dress shortly before her death with the intention of re-wearing it after the birth of her son.

I took nearly four months working on the dress, hand dying lace (I used a coffee dye bath to age the lace to match the ivory dress), counting and re-counting the buttons to make sure I had the exact same number, and of course finding the perfect bridal satin. I think this reproduction may be what I'm most proud of in my career.

@emmarosakatharina

For the first time since I started this business I was able to pay all my bills through profits from the business!! Back in July, I was even able to quit my part time nannying job to pour my whole focus on TBB! This is a huge milestone as a small business because it means I'm making the shift from "side business" to an actual paying job!

I also had a blast exploring completely different sides of the 1960's by releasing collections inspired by both the High School aesthetic of the mid-60's, and the late-60's medieval revival. The most popular selling piece this year was the "Sam" mini-dress, with the "Cybil" making a very close second! I phased out "Femme Fatale" marking the end of my first collection and the very first time I've phased out an entire collection.

...And last but not least, I adopted a mascot! In October, a very obnoxious and hungry stray kitten jumped on the hood of my (parked) car and loudly demanded I take him home. His name is Eric Von Zipper and he does just about everything with me.

So what does all this mean for the future? 2025 is a big year for my family and I want to have the freedom to travel and spend time with them. I also don't want to burn myself out by trying to keep up with other brands.

Moving forward I'll be making a few changes to the way I run TBB. The most noticeable change will be my approach to our upcoming Spring/Summer collection. Instead of releasing a line of clothes this April my aim will be to bring you a collection of accessories! This will include items such as hats, bags, scarves and the possibility of buttons and jewelry.

The goal is to offer sustainable hand-made items accessible at a lower price point, while also allowing me the freedom to pour my focus of clothing design into the Autumn/Winter collection.

Seeing how accessories often use less fabric than clothes, you can expect to see a higher quantity of vintage and deadstock fabrics. I can't wait to embark on this new adventure and share my goals of creating a sustainable future for fashion with each of you!

PEACE and LOVE

-Coco Elouise Marie