OUR STORY
IT STARTED WITH A TRIP TO AUSTRALIA.
In 1988, our mom took a trip to Australia.While she was there, she fell in love with the outerwear — rugged, distinctive, incredibly well made, and unlike anything she had come across before. More importantly, she had a pretty strong feeling that people back home would love it too, so she brought some home.Turns out, she was right.From there, travel took on a whole new purpose. Every trip became an opportunity to explore, wander into shops, meet people, and stumble across something special. And, conveniently, that became a pretty good excuse to keep traveling.
THE WORLD IS A PRETTY GOOD SHOWROOM
We’ve never been particularly interested in hunting down products just because we think they’ll sell. That feels backwards. Instead, we look for the things that stop us in our tracks. The cap in Germany. The wool in Ireland. The Panama hat in Ecuador. The outerwear in England. The fabric, shape or detail that makes you pick something up and say: “Well... that’s cool.” Over the years, those discoveries have taken us through Australia, Germany, Ireland, England, Italy, Greece, Poland, Ecuador, Canada, China, the Czech Republic, Hungary, Mexico, Scotland and plenty of places in between. Some of the makers we work with have been doing what they do for generations. Many are family businesses themselves. Others are simply very, very good at making something properly.
WEAR WHAT MAKES YOU HAPPY.
There are plenty of rules about what you’re supposedly meant to wear. Certain hats for certain face shapes. Certain colors for certain people. Certain styles once you reach a certain age. We’re going to politely ignore most of that. If you liked it on the shelf, like it even more on your head, and it puts a smile on your face, congratulations: You found your hat. Fashion does not need to be that complicated.
STILL FAMILY. STILL PICKY.
More than three decades later, the second generation carries the business forward. The products have changed. The countries have multiplied. The hat obsession has gotten considerably worse. But the basic idea has stayed the same. We want things that are well made, interesting and worth owning. Good materials. Good construction. Trusted makers. A little history. A little character And preferably something you don’t see every time you leave the house. If you happen to be near us in historic Ellicott City, Maryland, come say hello. There are a lot of hats here. Fair warning: you may leave in one.