Small businesses are key to a more sustainable and inclusive world, according to the World Economic Forum. Being a small business allows us to focus on quality over quantity and we are careful to design and create each hair accessory with intention and meticulous attention to detail. Unlike mass production, we take pride in producing only what we need, reducing excess waste in the process.
Part of our charm comes from how we make our products. The majority of our accessories are Made-to-Order, a business production strategy that allows consumers to purchase products that are customized. For example, on velvet hair bows, you get to choose a fastener to suit your personal hair styling needs. Only once an order is placed, will any products be made start to finish and shipped. That's why our processing times are up to 2 weeks before shipping during peak season, like leading up to the holidays.
Really popular styles, like scrunchies, are pre-produced by our makers in small batches of about 12 per color. This ensures that we don’t make more than we sell. Our most common scrunchie styles are left in multiple pieces for us to quickly assemble or tie our signature knot just before being shipped out. This helps us keep our lead times down to 2-5 days before shipping times, while still maintaining a high level of quality control.
We take pride in creating unique and attractive high-end hair accessories for women and children. Customers are at the center of our design process, we try to make hair styling and accessorizing fun, functional, and easy with creative solutions and multi-use styles. Scrunchies and fasteners range in size to accommodate all hair lengths, types, and textures, but some of our accessories don’t require having hair at all. Read in depth about all the fasteners used in the shop here. The result is luxury quality hair accessories that elevate even a bad hair day, whether you’re a busy stay at home mom, a trend driven collector of designer pieces, or just trying to share the gift of locally made joy.
Fashion is one of the leading industries for waste and carbon emissions, and it’s important that we are the exception. We have continually innovated several hair accessories to be upcycled from locally sourced textiles and leftover scraps from other styles. Our small team of makers put as much fabric to use instead of going into a landfill. It takes time to skillfully plan patterns and pieces so that we can create something attractive and useful with the fabric we have left with the least amount of and even zero waste.
Our most recently released offering in the upcycled series is the Skinny Scrunchie Surprise Bundle Box, a mystery 6 pack of assorted small hair ties made with left over production fabric. It makes the perfect gift and each bundle is a uniquley currated selection of colors, patterns, and fabrics, check it out here.
In addition to making accessories dedicated to the local culture of Cincinnati, I regularly bring on new talent from the fashion design program at the University of Cincinnati. Read about them here to learn about their impact and their favorite creations and innovations. Supporting this small fashion accessory brand, customers are supporting a local economy of future fashion designers, small business owners, and their families.
We invest time every day to answer questions and provide excellent customer service. The customer experience starts before you even purchase, so we take great care to provide very detailed information in our listing descriptions. Since 2018 on Etsy, Bardot Bow Gallery has consistently earned 5-star ratings and customer satisfaction because of our commitment to high quality customer care and luxury level product quality standards. Our accessories are not throw away fads or meant to break easily, they’re little investments that you should be able to get a lot of wear out of, share, or even pass down.
Our commitment to sustainability extends to our eco-friendly packing. We use recycled and recyclable materials for our packaging to minimize waste. Packaging is intentionally minimal and utilizing just recyclable boxes, tissue paper, and biodegradable mailers. The only part of our packing that isn’t recyclable are the branded stickers, packing tape, and shipping label because of the composition and adhesive. Although we are not perfect, we try to reuse packing filler from our regular mail deliveries and we encourage our customers to do the same, like saving the tissue paper for the next time you need to wrap a gift!
We’re small, but not perfect. There is always room for improvement and every year we revisit our process to make plans for how we can do better and play our part to increase our positive impact on the planet. Thank you for being a part of our journey.
]]>I prefer the large size myself, but if you have thin hair, you can choose the medium size or alligator clip. If you are really particular about the style of barrette you wear, please inquire more before purchasing as bows are made-to-order.
Styling Recommendation:
It is unlikely that any of our barrettes will hold all your hair, especially if you have a lot of hair, even thin hair. Please supplement with elastics and bobby pins to secure hair in the way you like. Barrettes are ideal for half-up-half-down hairstyles. You can also style them at the ends of a braid, covering a ponytail elastic, or clipped into an updo.
Spring French Barrette
I’ve used these since I began bow making, only recently upgrading to the Modern French Barrette for most other bows. It has two ways for me to affix it to the bow, so it’s strong and has a good hold on the product. There is a small insert (the spring!) that can come out if you open the fastener too wide. There are little notches that it can pop back into if this happens.
All small barrettes come in this style. I have not found a Modern French Barrette small enough to replace the Spring French Barrette in the small size. A small size barrette is also not requested very often, and is only recommended for children with very thin, fine hair.
In certain bows I must use the Spring French Barrette because of how the bow is constructed. The Spring French Barrette is better for bows that have a lot of bulk in their ribbons and centers.
The gold fastener does not spring as much silver. This is not a defect, just the style of metal. I choose gold or silver depending on the color of the product, but if you have a preference, make it known in the notes before checking out. Only the gold is nickel free.
Sizes and Specifications:
Small: 2'' wide - recommended for very thin, fine hair, like on a child.
Medium: 2 3/8" wide - recommended for thin hair.
Large: 3" wide - recommended for medium to thick hair.
Modern French Barrette
Made with a higher quality metal than the Spring French Barrette. It still has two ways for me to affix it to the bow, so there is no loss of strength or quality of hold. It evenly distributes the hair, because it doesn't have the removable spring insert. Comes in sizes medium and large. You’ll see these the most often in our listing descriptions, since they work for most bow styles.
I’ve been using these predominantly since late 2021. Before rolling these out, I rigorously tested them, had friends and family, and a number of willing customers try them out and give us their feedback. The consensus was that the Modern French Barrette was preferred over the Spring French Barrette. Thousands of bows and barrettes later and we have yet to hear a complaint about this style.
I do not have this style in a small barrette size. I have not found a Modern French Barrette small enough to replace the Spring French Barrette in the small size. A small size barrette is also not requested very often, and I mostly recommended it for children with very thin, fine hair.
Zinc Alloy. I choose gold or silver depending on the color of the bow, but if you have a preference, make it known in the notes before checking out. Only the gold is nickel free.
Sizes and Specifications:
Medium: 2 1/2" wide - recommended for fine or thin hair.
Large: 3 3/8" wide - recommended for medium to thick hair.
Our most popular fastener, and the one I recommend the most, because of its ease of use and versatility.
I use the Medium Alligator Clips on oversized bows and bows with bulky ribbons and centers. Some ribbons are too narrow to conceal the Medium Alligator Clip, so we can only offer a Small Alligator Clip in those instances. Most styles support a Small Alligator Clip.
I choose gold or silver depending on the color of the bow, but if you have a preference, make it known in the notes before checking out.
Styling Recommendation:
Clip into any hairdo. Style front pieces of hair back, wear in a half pony with the additional use of an elastic, on the end of a braid, and clip onto some shirts as neckwear. The possibilities are endless!
It is unlikely that any alligator clip will hold all your hair. You can still make the Small Alligator Clip work, even if you have thick hair, with the additional use of elastics/bobby pins.
Sizes and Specifications:
Small: 1 7/8'' wide - recommended for someone with thin, fine hair.
Medium: 2 3/8'' wide - recommended for thin to medium hair.
This fastener turns any bow into a fashion accessory, no longer reserved for just hair. I reserve the gold for products with gold detailing, like the Luxe Link Bows so the metals match. All other bows will get the silver.
Iron Alloy.
Styling Recommendation:
My personal go-to, is using it as Neckwear to elevate a blouse or simple button-up. Wear like a traditional brooch on a jacket lapel, as a cute closure for a cardigan, or transform a purse or dress strap.
Sizes and Specifications:
1 1/2'' wide - Silver modern safety rolling catch brooch pin.
1 3/8" wide - Gold modern safety rolling catch brooch pin.
Name brand, damage free hair tie elastics in black. Brown/Blonde and larger sizes available upon request, just put it in the notes.
Sizes and Specifications:
Standard: 2'' diameter - recommended for fine to thin hair. When new, the maximum stretch is 6 inches.
XL: 3" diameter - recommended for very thick hair. When new, the maximum stretch is 9 inches. Used by request only.