Meet Hear Hugs
Beautiful retention headbands designed to celebrate every girl’s hearing device journey.
Emily Saw A Need For Adaptive Fashion
Emily, founder of the retention headband company Hear Hugs, set out to design a headband that was both functional and fashionable for her deaf daughter.
“My daughter referred on her newborn hearing screening. A month later, we found out she had moderate to severe hearing loss, and two months after that, she got her first pair of pink hearing aids.”
After two years as a hearing aid user, her daughter’s hearing levels became profound. She became a candidate for cochlear implants and received them around her third birthday.
“When my daughter received her CIs, I quickly realized headbands were the best retention method for her,” Emily explained. “She is super active, always trying to keep up with her big siblings. When we tried other retention methods, her CIs constantly fell off.”
At first, Emily purchased a few plain elastic headbands online, but she struggled to find ones that were adjustable, comfortable, and offered a non-slip grip.
“I wanted a non-slip grip on the elastic so it wouldn’t slide back as the day progressed, and I wanted to ensure that the microphones on the processor would not be blocked.”
Creating Hear Hugs, A Fun Fashionable Alternative
While practicality was a major factor in her design process, Emily also wanted something that felt true to her daughter’s personality—something she’d be excited to wear each morning.
“My daughter was always picking out her older sister’s stylish headbands and putting them on. I wanted her to be proud to show off her headband and her CIs.”
As other parents began noticing the custom headbands and asking if Emily sold them, Hear Hugs was born. Emily launched an Etsy shop, and her three children helped come up with the name.
With a background in Neuroscience and Occupational Therapy, Emily worked for ten years in an inpatient rehab facility before focusing on her business. She’s also a creative at heart—enjoying time at home with her kids (and two cats!), cooking up new recipes, painting, and sewing.
Creating Hear Hugs has allowed Emily to combine her professional experience and creative passions into something deeply personal and rewarding.
Changing The Narrative One Design At A Time
“We have had lots of ups and downs and lots of emotions throughout her journey: I am so proud of my daughter. She is turning into a confident and proud Deaf girl and was my inspiration for starting Hear Hugs.”
Each Hear Hugs headband is custom-made to order and can be designed to support bilateral CIs, unilateral CIs, hearing aids, or bimodal users. There are currently seven styles and over 30 fabric options to choose from—including their newest aqua headband, released just in time for summer!
Emily and her daughter continue to challenge industry norms by making necessities feel natural—empowering users to express both their personal style and deaf identity with confidence. Hear Hugs brings a fun, fashionable spin to adaptive fashion.
