 OUR HISTORY
NANTUCKET, MA.
Bringing to mind old New England families gathered on the beach with children and dogs, dinner with friends under star filled summer skies, and beautifully appointed homes that serve first and foremost as inviting oasis' for family and friends, Peter Beaton is a Nantucket based brand that celebrates people not so much for who they are but for how they live---with passion, generosity, and a captivating sense of style. A delicious blend of affluence and ease, Peter Beaton's allure lies not only in being able to adeptly reinvent the classics, but in being able to stretch its well cultivated toes outside of the box and break the rules now and then. Emblematic of people who are worldly yet down to earth, trend-setting yet timeless, and fearless rather than flawless, PB style is inviting, captivating, and colorful. More than
an evanescent fashion statement, Peter Beaton is a philosophy for living that nurtures, enriches, and celebrates the human spirit.
ABOUT OUR PRODUCTS
 What began with straw hats that offered a chic alternative to high maintenance hair has blossomed into a brand embraced by all those who cherish the joy of self-expression through fashion, food, our homes and gardens. The Peter Beaton Signature Collection of hats and totes are made from finely braided leghorn straw. All of these hats are custom fitted and decorated, and come in their own signature box. Unlike any other company, Peter Beaton lock stitches all of its signature leghorn straw in order to provide you with products that are unequivocally the best! Because of the small quantities of fine grade natural straw that can be extracted from the crops each year and the highly skilled labor that is required to braid it and then sew it into shape, all Peter Beaton hats, like the locations on Nantucket after which they are named, are treasures. In addition to the straw hats and bags for which the brand has become famous, are collections of belts, shoes, and clothing that are noteworthy in and of themselves.
HOW IT ALL BEGAN
After having come up empty handed in search of the perfect hat to wear to a party back in 1989, Darcy Creech took matters into her own hands. She found an unstructured panama hat, flowers, damask fabric---and voila! A few days later, her creation took the party by storm! Trained in culinary arts and following the faux painting trend at the time, she knew nothing about "real" hat making, but with herself with a one-year old son to support, she decided she was going to figure it out! Darcy found wholesale suppliers of parchment paper flowers and panama straw and proceeded to make a prototype. She chose to test market the hat on Nantucket during the weekend of their famed antique car parade. No sooner had she stepped on Main St. when she had storekeepers enthralled and winks from near and far. One particularly chic woman followed Darcy in and out of the shops and finally told her that she just had to know where Darcy got her hat! Darcy was thrilled to tell her that she had designed it herself and thatJanet Russo's, a beautiful little boutique on Main Street, had just placed an order and the hats would be arriving in a matter of days.
Fueled with positive feedback and blessed with enough naivety to shield her from being overwhelmed by the challenges that would lie ahead, Darcy began taking orders. She heard about 'showrooms' in New York through a ribbon store on 38th St., about trade shows through her aunt, about straw importers at a trade show, about a hat blocker through the straw importer, etc., etc, etc. Slowly but surely she built a roster of accounts that included Henri Bendel, Neiman Marcus, Barney's, Nordstrom, and two First Ladies. Within four years she went from an inexperienced businesswoman with a passion for hats to a seasoned entrepreneur who sold her name to the leader in her industry.
 Daffodil Weekend on Nantucket was traditionally a "girls" weekend. But with horrible weather predicted in 1995 and the usual crew reluctant to rally, Darcy decided to take her seven year-old son, Peter, with her instead. They arrived under overcast skies, yet no sooner had they swung their legs over the town pier and plunked brown bag lunches in their laps, that the sky cleared. Captivated by his new surroundings, Peter suggested that they move to Nantucket. With the sale of her company complete and at long last in a position to consider purchasing a home, Darcy knew he was right. No matter where she was, her heart was always in Nantucket. After lunch she called a broker and arranged to see a few properties. The following day she made an offer on a neglected commercial/residential property in the heart of the historic district. The day before Peter started 2nd grade, they packed up their bags in CT and headed for Nantucket. That winter, while the property was being renovated, Darcy was having a tough time coming up with a name for her new business. Then it became so clear. Peter Beaton--the first and middle name of her only son at the time. It was the perfect choice. If Peter hadn't been with her in Nantucket that weekend and suggested they move to Nantucket, she felt she might have overlooked the opportunity of a lifetime. Darcy opened The Peter Beaton Hat Studio in the spring of 1996--and the rest is history.
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