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The first thing Tasha Getten ever knit was a hat, made from a knitting kit. Next, a patchwork blanket. And now, Getten knits one-of-a-kind clothing pieces that she sells through her Instagram shop, Scarlet Buton.

The Syracuse University senior launched the Instagram account for her clothing company Scarlet Buton that sells knitwear pieces on March 13.

“My mom, a couple years ago, had bought me this little knitting kit,” Getten said. “I was always a really artsy kid. And so I was like, ‘You know what, I’ll just pick it up, see what happens.’”

In February, Getten had a conversation about how she wanted to turn her hobby into a business with one of her best friends and fellow senior Rachel Wurzburger. Wurzburger offered to help on social media and Getten accepted.

Wurzburger — who’s planning to work in social media after graduation — immediately started thinking about how to launch Scarlet Buton’s social accounts while maintaining Getten’s vision for the brand, even working with Getten to put together a mood board.

From the start, Getten and Wurzburger wanted to ensure the branding was right and Getten’s knits weren’t coming off as tired or old-fashioned knitwear, but instead as trendier pieces. While they were brainstorming how to advertise the knitwear, Wurzburger tossed out the phrase that has since become the brand’s tagline and Instagram bio: “Not the sh*t your grandma knits.”

Though making each individual knit piece can be time-consuming, Getten enjoys the process. When she walks around craft stores like Michaels to buy supplies, Getten will sometimes look at a ball of yarn and think that it would look great for a certain design, shape or pattern. She’ll often knit during downtime, like while she watches TV, both to enjoy the hobby and produce a new item.

Getten wanted to be sure that Scarlet Buton came across as fun, not like classical knitwear, and fits well with the demographic of college-aged girls. This shows in the little things on the brand’s Instagram, like Getten’s idea to end every post with the phrase “luv you, mean it.”

The brand’s tagline and Instagram bio is “Not the sh*t your grandma knits.” Getten wants to make sure the clothes come across as fun, instead of tired or classical knitwear. Courtesy of Tasha Getten

Many of the pieces Getten posts on Scarlet Buton’s Instagram are cropped designs and share details with popular styles. Knitwear overall is a trendier style right now, Getten said.

“What I like to say is you can go have a picnic in a shirt in the afternoon and go to the club in the same top, Getten said.

Despite only launching the brand’s socials about two weeks ago, the duo actively worked to promote the company and develop its online presence. Developing the brand required promotional photos to post, so on March 13, they held a photoshoot in Getten’s backyard with some of their Kappa Kappa Gamma sisters to get promotional photos of the clothes.

Not only did the shoot result in new photos of the clothes to market on social media, but freshman Alexia Siguero Campo also filmed a behind-the-scenes style video of the shoot that she thinks captures the “essence” of the brand, Siguero Campo said.

“(Getten) transformed a concept that you have this idea of being very classical and very old school, neat, polished, and she just transformed that idea and made it trendy and cool,” Siguero Campo said.

Wurzburger wants to expand the brand’s social media presence and has her sights set on TikTok. Courtesy of Tasha Getten

Though the company itself began in the middle of a pandemic and is only a few weeks old, Getten’s happy with the growth she’s seen in the brand already. It’s helped that buying from small businesses is trending at the moment and that people are “always looking for the next cute thing,” she said.

Getten hopes to build on the growth she’s already seen with Scarlet Buton by potentially launching a website or developing a larger online platform for the brand. Wurzburger wants to expand its social media reach and has her sights set on TikTok.

But for now, Getten’s biggest goal for Scarlet Buton is to maintain the Instagram shop and growth that she’s already seen.

“For better or worse, I’m obsessed with knitting things,” Getten said. “And it’s what I do every night while I lay down and watch Netflix or whatever, I’m sitting there knitting away. And I think for me, the biggest reward is just not only getting to make the product but seeing people wear it and enjoy it.”

Published on March 31, 2021 at 11:08 pm

Contact Abby: avpresso@syr.edu | @abbyvp08