Peter Beaton

Unable to find the right hat to wear to a party back in 1988, Darcy Creech took a large-brimmed panama hat she had already owned, adorned it with a floral creation of her own design, and took the party by storm. Brainstorming for a way to work from home so she could take care of her one-year old son Peter Beaton Creech, Darcy sold her engagement ring and bought hat making supplies. She made a prototype hat to test the market during Daffodil Festival Weekend on Nantucket, and, making her way into town wearing her creation, had storekeepers enthralled. One particularly chic woman followed her in and out of shops until finally asking, “Where did you get that hat!?” Darcy explained that she’d designed it herself, and that with her first order in hand, the hats would soon be available at Janet Russo’s, a beautiful little boutique on Main Street. Next came an order from Bramhall and Dunn on Martha’s Vineyard, where James Taylor would become one of the first customers of the newly-stocked Creech creations.  It was just the encouragement she needed to forge ahead and create what ultimately became the Peter Beaton Hat Studio.