The Bold Dress Designs of Sister-Run Briton Court

My interview with the three sisters behind two-year-old fashion label Briton Court began with learning which stylish brunette was which. Stephe Ebert and identical twin sister Jenny Hall sat next to “the baby” — their youngest sister, Kristina Teague. The alchemy of each woman’s personal style and fashion industry experience shines beautifully in their line of colorful garments for women and girls of all ages. Meet the Greenville, SC-based sisters of Briton Court!

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How Briton Court Was Born

Across the street from each other on Augusta Road in Greenville, South Carolina, sit two local boutiques: one for women and one for kids. Jenny owns Harringtons, a women’s boutique. Kristina owns Vann & Liv, a children’s and babies’ store. Stephe worked for Southern Tide for 13 years on the wholesale side.

An idea started brewing during their boisterous Sunday night dinners at their parents’ house (also in Greenville), where the three sisters and their gaggle of kids get together to play, eat, and talk. “It’s a huge ordeal, these Sunday night dinners,” Stephe says. “After multiple conversations, we decided to put together our collective experience in retail and fashion to create a private label of mommy-and-me dresses to sell in our two stores.”

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The numbers don’t lie — Briton Court exploded.

On Briton Court’s launch day in early 2022, both Harringtons and Vans & Liv had their single biggest online sales day to date, and they have yet to beat it. It was apparent that this new line was filling a gap in the retail world: a locally run label with vibrant prints, flattering shapes, fantastic fabrics, and embellished touches.

Mothers can match with their daughters, but each piece has unique, age-reflective details. Mom has tassels, daughter has sequin pockets, for example. Women were scooping up their pieces at Jenny’s store, then hopping over to Kristina’s store for their girls’.

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“Retailers started calling us and asking, ‘What brand is that? Where did you find it?’ So that’s when we started to see what else we could make happen,” Stephe says.

Six months after their launch — in August of 2022 —  they took their collection to America’s Mart in Atlanta and landed in 56 additional stores. “It began heavy in the Southeast and hasn’t stopped since. Now we’re in 321 stores,” adds Stephe.

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Bold Prints and Delightful Trimmings

Briton Court uses a print designer based out of Brazil to bring their limitless ideas to life. “We send her inspiration for color palettes and ideas for each collection. She sends us preliminary designs, and we tweak them from there,” Kristina says. Briton Court sends out new monthly deliveries, so fresh products are always online and in stores.

As we chatted on Zoom, Stephe pulled out some new spring pieces to explain the design process. Showing me a multicolored maxi dress, she adds, “We took a Tucan print and exploded it. It’s a soft cotton poplin, and the girl’s version has a sequin neon yellow pocket.”

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The Greenville community nurtures Briton Court.

Stephe, Jenny, and Kristina come from a family of restaurateurs in Greenville. “Our grandfather moved to Greenville from New Jersey on a football scholarship to play at Furman,” Jenny says. “He noticed that there were no real Italian subs or delis here, so he started making subs out of his dorm room, then selling and delivering them on his bicycle. That’s how he got started.”

After their grandfather graduated, he started a few different restaurants, from a white tablecloth eatery to a sports bar that operated on an honor system. The sisters’ father followed his father’s footsteps and joined the restaurant business after playing football for Furman. From 1956 to 1996, these restaurants were paramount to the Greenville community, and the family still keeps that alive with their Sunday night dinners.

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Balancing Work and Family

People often ask Stephe, Jenny, and Kristina what it’s like working together as sisters. “Honestly, we are so open to listening to each other’s ideas that we rarely disagree. We lived in our mom’s closet growing up. She had a lot of fancy gowns from when our family ran the City Club because there were always big events. We’d put on her dresses and heels. Even in college, our friends shopped in our closets instead of in stores. Yes. Our clothes went missing quite a bit,” Jenny laughs.

Sometimes, they’ll take a brainstorming session to a favorite Greenville spot. “We’re loving The 07 and The 05 right now,” Stephe says. “They’re named for their zip codes. A girl we grew up with decorated the place. It’s so cute inside. Great drinks and great food. We also love the Table 301 restaurant group that owns Camp and their new spot, Jones Oyster Co., that makes you feel like you’re in Nantucket.”

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Up next: More than women and girls!

Briton Court has a lot on the horizon. “We are working to expand to babies because right now, we start at size two,” Stephe says. Baby bubbles and new silhouettes starting at six months, plus more blouses and pant sets for women, will arrive soon. They also have a game-day collection dropping in July filled with funky prints like cowboy boots and tie-dye prints with Southern schools’ official Pantone colors. “They’re meant to be lightweight and comfy for an all-day tailgate,” Stephe adds.

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Whispers of boys’ and men’s lines, plus other textiles, could be down the line. One thing’s for sure: just like the raucous Sunday suppers that sparked the brand, Briton Court’s here to stay and only adding more fun into the fold as time goes on. Get shopping!

Thanks so much for chatting, Jenny, Stephe, and Kristina! All photos courtesy of Briton Court.

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