Founder Friday: The Rainstorm That Started Hairbrella

It’s 7:30 a.m. on March 6th, and I’m sitting in a salon in Southwest Atlanta — just a couple blocks from the stretch of Campbellton Road where I used to get my hair done years ago.

My stylist and I are laughing because the forecast says it’s supposed to rain for the next eight days.

I always joke that whenever I get my hair done, rain is guaranteed within 24 hours.

Moments like this always bring me back to the story of how Hairbrella started.

And during Women’s History Month, it feels especially meaningful to reflect on why I began this journey in the first place.

The Moment That Changed Everything

Years ago, when I was a student at UGA Law, I had an on-campus interview scheduled. If you’ve ever been through that process, you know how big those interviews are.

You’ve prepared for weeks. Everything feels like it matters.

I had just parked in the deck.

And the moment I stepped out of the car…

it started raining.

The kind of rain that immediately makes you think about your hair.

The only thing I had to protect it was a plastic bag.

 

So there I was, trying to shield my hair from the rain with a shopping bag on the way to one of the most important interviews of my life.

Later that day, I went online convinced I must have missed something.

Surely someone had already created a real solution — something designed to fully insulate your hair from the rain.

After all, we had waterproof jackets, boots, and umbrellas.

But nothing existed that actually protected your hair while still looking polished.

And that realization stayed with me.

 

When People Laughed at the Idea

Years later, when I left my corporate law career to pursue Hairbrella, I hosted focus groups to test the concept.

Some people were curious.
Some were supportive.

And some people literally laughed.

To them, reinventing the rain hat sounded like a novelty.

But when you’ve lived the problem yourself, conviction tends to outweigh doubt.

So I kept going.

 

The Mission Behind Hairbrella

Hairbrella was never just about rain.

It was about making sure women could conquer the world without worrying about the weather.

Because our crown should never be our stumbling block.

The Storms We Didn’t See Coming

In the nine years since launching Hairbrella, we’ve navigated storms I never could have predicted.

We built this company through:

• a global pandemic, when people weren’t even going outside in the rain
• tariff hikes that affected nearly every consumer brand
• one of the tightest funding climates entrepreneurs have seen in years
• and the everyday challenges of building something from scratch

Entrepreneurship has a way of reminding you that resilience isn’t optional.

It’s required.

Why This Month Feels Different

This Women’s History Month feels a little heavier.

Over the past week I watched the discourse online around another Black female founder whose work I admire.

Seeing how quickly admiration can turn into criticism — and criticism into a pile-on — gave me pause.

So much so that I postponed a shoot we had scheduled for next week.

Not because I don’t believe in this mission.

But because building something publicly can sometimes feel heavy.

The higher you climb, the louder the noise can get.

Still, there’s something I remind myself of often:

Women who build something meaningful don’t avoid storms.
They learn how to walk through them.

Thank You

If you’ve supported Hairbrella at any point along this journey — whether from the beginning or just recently — please know that you’re part of this story.

Every order.
Every message.
Every time you share Hairbrella with someone else.

You make this mission possible.

And during Women’s History Month, I’m reminded that building something meaningful takes courage.

But it also takes community.

So thank you for being on this journey with me.

A Small Reminder This Weekend

This weekend we’re celebrating Women’s History Month with 25% off sitewide.

Many people know Hairbrella today for the Rain Scarf or the Swim Cap, but our weatherproof collection is really where it all began.

It started with a simple idea:

To create products that allow you to step into your day fearless in any forecast.

My hope has always been that Hairbrella does more than protect your hair.

I hope our products make conquering your day just a little easier — and remind you of the confidence and resilience that already live inside of you.

Because those qualities are what carry us through the storms.

I’ll admit… I needed that reminder myself this week.

But reflecting on this journey — and on all of you who have supported it — has given me a renewed sense of courage to keep building with the same passion and fearlessness that got us this far.

And I believe that same resilience exists in all of you.

I’m grateful we get to continue this journey together.

Fearless in any forecast,
Tracey

Founder & CEO, Hairbrella