UPDATE: Giveaway is over. Thank you!
It’s always exciting when you come across a brand that you connect with just on an aesthetic level. It’s even better when you can also align with what they stand for. Enter Bathen. I discovered them via Instagram and was immediately smitten with the gorgeous colors of their robes and pouches. Bathen was founded by Emily Painter, Elisiana Diaz-Martin, and Hannah Zisman. I spoke with Hannah recently and she gave me all the scoop!
Where did the name Bathen come from?
We brainstormed for a while and wanted to find a name that reflected our after-bath theme and was short and catchy! After lots of brainstorming, we came across the word Bathen, which is supposedly middle English for putting something or someone in water. We pronounce it “Bay-then” as opposed to “Bath-in”
You’re a team of 3 founders, and you’re actually based all across the US. How did you guys meet, and what brought you together to start Bathen?
Emily connected us all while we were living in NYC over 10 year ago. Then, Elisiana decided to take a Sales & Product Manager job in Guatemala at the non-profit Maya Traditions where she worked directly with female artisans. She had always wanted to live and work in Central America as her father is from El Salvador. Emily went to visit her and they decided they wanted to start a brand that supported Maya Traditions and their fair trade mission. Then, early last year, Hannah had the idea of starting an after-bath wear line and called them up to pitch the idea. They said yes (thankfully!), and together, we combined our ideas to launch Bathen, an ethically handmade after-bath wear line that’s super colorful and inspired by the region.
What or who would you say are you biggest inspirations/influences for the brand?
The traditional designs of Guatemala greatly inspired our creative direction and brand. During our inspo trip last year, we went to vintage markets in Antigua and around Lake Atitlan where we found tons of beautiful striped patterns, bright colors, and handwoven textiles which you’ll see reflected in our designs.
Sustainability and being socially conscious are a big part of Bathen’s ethos. What steps are you taking to make that happen?
We only work with organizations that provide ethical, fair wages, and value traditional techniques. You can learn more about our current artisan partners here.
We also try to limit our use of packaging and use recycled and recyclable materials as often as possible to reduce our impact on the environment.
What are your biggest challenges, and what are you most proud of so far?
We live in separate states and time zones (Indiana, California and New York) so all of our meetings are over Google hangouts, Facetime, iMessage, IG chat… Sometimes it’s hard not being able to connect in person and feed off of that creative energy, but we try to get together as much as we can! We also all have other jobs that take up a lot of our time, so trying to figure out how to balance everything is definitely a challenge. Finally, this is the first time any of us have started and run a company, so we’re constantly learning on the fly, but that part is also fun! We are most proud of getting this off the ground in under a year and not compromising our values along the way.
What’s next for Bathen?
We have so many ideas and have to figure out what is right for the brand, our story and our *small budgets* (we are currently self-funded.) We want to create new styles, incorporate new products, and continue to partner with inspiring creatives like Happy Mundane!
So there you have it. Amazing ethically produced robes and “after-bath” themed products in gorgeous colors… sign me up right!? Well, guess what?- I got the opportunity to collab with Bathen and do these fun photos for them. They in turn are hosting a GIVEAWAY! YES, you can get yourself some super luxurious Bathen goodness and here’s all you need to do:
1) follow @bathenshop on Instagram
2) Find and Like this post on their feed:
3) Tag 2 friends in the comments of that post.
That’s it!
One winner will be selected at random & notified via DM (winner must respond within 5 days from contest close date). Must be 18+ with US shipping address to qualify. Contest ends 2/4/2020 at 11 PM EST.
Be sure to check out all of their collection (they also have hair wraps, bags, and more!) over at the Bathen website.
photos by Jonathan Lo / J3 Productions