The Origin of the Damara Collar Collection and The Etosha Torque Collection
The scarf has always been one of the most versatile pieces a woman (and now men) could have in their closet. In the South, it serves as the unspoken ruler of accessories whether strolling the city streets or enjoying an outdoor fete. A good scarf provides sun protection, warmth, a barrier between you and flying blood suckers or can be happily used as a pillow on a flight or safari card ride in a pinch. Whether traveling to another continent or walking in an open field in the south, I always seem to have some beautiful scarf with me. It could be printed silk twill with the image of beautiful birds or a hand-loomed wild Kalahari silk scarf to protect me from the blasting AC that Charleston restaurants are known for, but it’s always with me.
In 2018 Charleston experienced the coldest, longest sustained time of cold temperatures that did not creep above freezing, which is quite unheard of. There wasn’t anything you could do to keep warm in the dampness of the Charleston wind, blowing in off the Atlantic. Brutal cold; Almost rising to the level of freezing you may experience on cold, gray blustery day in New York City (almost).
While freezing and looking at the luxurious hides we have in the office, we longed to have a warm collar or scarf made out of these oh so warm materials. And from there, we sketched and sampled and kept trying until we arrived at a sumptuous combination of duchess satin, melded with the softest responsibly sourced furs we could get. Not only were they warm and comforting, but they did something for us. They made us feel beautiful- even on those not-so-great-feeling winter days.
We went a step further and added feathers for a feminine touch. A nod to the beauty of the outdoor lifestyle, to the fashion of the big hats we love down south and because I am a secret birder; loving anything that has wings and flies.
Loving our creations, we wanted to see if other women did too. And then it kept happening. Every time a woman would don one of our collars or torques, you could see the look in her eye. They often would raise their hand to touch it, smile and say something to let us know that they felt glamorous and special.
Norton + Hodges is about finding a way to meld what we love about the south and our adventures around Africa. The Damara people is a tribe in Namibia who have always been connected to their environment. They are known for traditionally wearing many items from the animals they hunt. These pieces were worn for celebrations and milestones in life but sometimes for every day garments as well. They were handmade with purpose in a very sustainable way. We wanted the collars to reflect that influence and history and so we called them the Damara Collection.
That’s how the Etosha and Damara Collections were born.
As time goes on, we have developed new collections of upcycled fur collars, Jewel Tone collars and our most favorite to create are our editorial and custom collars. We have several clients that allow us to create one-of-a-kind pieces for them for special red carpet events.
For custom collars, please email us at information@nortonandhodges.com or send a message through our contact form.