International Women’s Day, also known as IWD, is a day celebrated around the world for more than a century to highlight the achievements of women. It marks an opportunity to celebrate the successes and strides that women have achieved in the workplace.
Today, we’re celebrating all of the incredibly talented and creative women who make up our team. We sat down with three of these women for a behind-the-scenes look at the unique ways in which they bring every Brackish piece to life.
Tell us when you started at Brackish and a bit about your role here
Tav: I started at Brackish in 2017 and I am the lead of the Feather Department. My role includes leading the feather team, which is super exciting because we sort every single feather that the artisans receive. There are hundreds of categories for all of the feathers that we use, and they are all tailored to fit each product specifically so that the finished products are as consistent as possible. Although it is a challenge, it’s fun to see what cool pieces the artisans are able to turn the feathers into.
Tav, Materials Controller
Maddie: My first day at Brackish was April 1st, 2015 (April Fools Day). I love to joke that one day someone is going to say, “April Fools” and I’ll be out of a job. When I first started, I worked in almost every position in the office until I found my forever home in QC (Quality Control). It all makes sense now, considering how particular I am about things in my everyday life. QC seems to come naturally to me.
Maddie, Quality Manager
Mary: Lindsay, an artisan at Brackish who is my neighbor and friend, mentioned to me that Brackish needed a part-time gift wrapper and product boxer in November 2020. I was working in real estate at the time, which was very slow due to COVID, so why not? I could use some holiday money! I’ve always been a fan of Brackish since I saw their Original bow tie at Wine Under the Oaks in 2015 - plus my first job was as a gift wrapper at Northwoods Mall during the holidays when I was 15. Funny how things come full circle!
Fast forward to 8 months later, I was promoted to Production Administrator, a full-time position! I provide support to Artisans and Production employees to ensure efficient and timely execution of production plans. I love that I now get to work closely with almost everyone at Brackish from our amazing feather team to the fabulous ladies in shipping and everything in between!
Mary, Production Administrator
Explain some of your experience as a member of our team, as it relates to our extraordinary group of women
Tav: Working at Brackish has been an amazing experience thus far, and a lot of it has to do with the amazing women at the company. Most of our staff are women, and being in such a creative, women-centric environment while the company has grown so much over the years is something that I am truly proud to be a part of.
Maddie: Oddly as it has worked out, as long as I’ve been at Brackish, our team has seemed to be predominantly women. Which I find to be super cool to be surrounded by so many talented women in a workspace.
Mary: Brackish is predominantly female! Ben and Jeff obviously recognize and honor women, which I fully respect. We, at Brackish, lift each other up and work as a team.
In what ways have you seen Brackish grow throughout your time here?
Tav: Throughout the years, I’ve not only been able to see the growth but also been able to be a part of it - which is a huge honor. From being here during the development and launch of our first women’s collection, to being a part of growing the feather department is a huge accomplishment.
Maddie: The best way to describe watching Brackish grow over the past seven years would be (to pay homage to one of our Brackish Core Values) “Better, Better, Better”. It’s been amazing to see people try new ways of doing things every day, that end up becoming the new norm. I do believe the smallest changes make the biggest difference, and it really shows in our work from year to year.
Mary: Brackish has grown from a dozen artisans to several dozen in my time here. We released the women’s line right before I started.
What aspect of your day-to-day work most excites you?
Tav: Every day is exciting! Fulfilling the day-to-day needs of our amazing artisans and production team keeps me on my toes, and knowing that all the work that my team and myself put into every day is ultimately going to make a customer happy makes it all well worth it.
Maddie: I really love getting to have my hands on all of the products. Also, knowing I may be handling a product that will end up with Bill Murray or Blake Lively is pretty cool too.
Mary: Seeing what we can all accomplish together!
What are your favorite designs from our Spring Collection?
Tav: It’s so hard to choose! In the men’s collection, I love the Farmington. It’s such a great mesh of colors and feather types. The camouflage design is stunning, it’s truly amazing how the feathers are cut out to re-create such a familiar pattern.
The white collection in the women’s line is absolutely remarkable. Although the collection looks simple, the texture of the white feathers makes it so compelling. The design team went through a lot of trial and error to get the designs just right, and it shows
Maddie: For our Men’s Spring Collection, the Wallace bow tie is my favorite. That particular design has more of a rare blue pheasant fringe that we don’t see often, and it is one of my favorite feathers. For our Women’s Spring Collection, I have really been loving the new Pendant Necklaces. I personally love having another small, but not so subtle, accessory like this in our collection.
Mary: The Seay bow tie is gorgeous for Spring! The Dez drop earrings are so bold and beautiful with the peacock, pheasant, and guinea feathers!
When you’re not at Brackish, we can expect to find you doing what?
Tav: When I’m not at Brackish, you can definitely find me cooking and experimenting with new recipes. I have a Frenchie, Berg, who loves a good afternoon nap (which I do as well), and on our warm Charleston summer days, I love to ride my bike on Folly to take in the lowcountry views.
Maddie: If I am being honest, probably eating out somewhere in Charleston. I am a huge foodie, to say the least. Charleston is home to so many good restaurants, I can’t keep up with all the places I want to try or go back to.
Mary: Shenanigans with my husband of 20 years, close friends and family, chauffeuring our 15 year old son to/from BCA for theater, rescuing and loving animals.
