My hope chest is 24 years young. We entered this world together: it sat at the foot of my bed, brown eyes of cedar watching my life unfold. It was with me when I got ready for school in a new town. It was an unassuming presence, ready to hold and treasure whatever I needed. Each night I went to bed, it was there. We shared our formative years together, and when I moved to college, it did too.
Seasons have etched new patterns in my life. A ring now sits on my left hand. When I smile there are lines, weighed by laughter. Yet through it all- the challenges, the victories, the never ending-newness of it all, my hope chest has remained. Silently watching, holding space for each version of me.
My chest has always held what I needed at the exact moment in time. From childhood toys, to paints and brushes, to black hair dye and film cameras, to now holding cherished family quilts, it has tenderly walked with me for each stage of life.
My mother, sister, and grandmother each have these cedar companions. An icon of Appalachian culture, the chest often held what you needed to prepare for the future, especially after marriage. My grandmother gave each of her grandchildren a cedar chest to keep this tradition alive, a mark of our heritage.
To reveal a woman’s hope chest is to know her deepest desires, what she values most, and what items she hopes will have a life that outlasts hers.
My grandmother kept linens and laces from her mother and grandmother in her chest. She kept treasured photos in there that she would always bring out at Christmas.
My sister kept over 30 journals, her hopes and dreams of the future splayed on the page.
Me?
Nowadays, mine doesn’t hold pieces for what could be. It carries what I hope to never forget.
The hope to never forget my first fashion sketches, my collages, my photos.
Birthday cards written years ago that I can’t seem to part with.
A fringe jacket my mother gave me from her freshman year in college.
Hand-made quilts that held me through winters away from home.
Momentos of life that have formed me.
Most of all, the hope to never forget the love and passion I have experienced throughout my life.
This is the heart of Biti Bibi.
Our desire to never forget, to treasure tradition, is the core inspiration in our brand.
We hope that our pieces will provide a tangible placeholder for memories, so that they will serve and be cherished for years, passed down for generations to come.
Love,
Emma Christine (Biti)