Hasta La Ideas

Colorful scrunchies reinvented in Maharam fabric by a crafty Ohio mom

Last but not least in our series of limited-edition collaborations, the Maharam and Cool Hunting hair scrunchie (or Ma-hair-am Scrunchie, as we like to call it) is the upshot of a typical late night at the office when we were sourcing the items for our pop up shop with the Gap. When CH editor Ami Kealoha whipped out a scrunchie to keep her hair back, it sparked a nostalgic conversation about the beloved hair tie that ruled the ’90s.

“Wouldn’t it be great to make scrunchies out of
Maharam fabric?” was all it took for us to reach out to the NYC textile legend. Once they were on board, we tapped the woman who made over 100 scrunchies to hold up my side ponytail for all of fifth grade (aka my mother Debbie), who whipped up a batch of the fabric-covered hair-ties for us.

A fourth generation family-run business, as the major fabric supplier for much of NYC’s fashion and furniture industries, Maharam is a perfect example of one of NYC’s enduring brands and a great fit for the project.

Despite the infamous scrunchie episode of “Sex & The City,” we’re here to tell you that girls in NYC do wear them. A well-made throwback and the perfect stocking stuffer to add a little splash of colorful fun, the Maharam and Cool Hunting scrunchies sell online and in our pop up with the Gap for $6 each.