Three years ago today, the first spark of what would become Woof Caps was lit. Brett and I were sitting at The Skellig in Dallas, catching up over drinks. He was talking about adopting another dog, and I was raving about how much I love Kailee. Somewhere in that conversation, we noticed a guy wearing a hat with a clip-art dog slapped on it. I said out loud what we were both thinking: Why isnât there a hat with my dog on it, but something cool? A real design, a real quality hat. We looked around online and saw the same thing everywhereâgeneric clip-art dogs on cheap, forgettable hats. Thatâs when we decided right then and there: We needed to make this ourselves.
Within days, we got to work. We started researching manufacturers, sketching out designs, picking fabrics and colors, and figuring out everything that goes into building a hat brand from the ground up. It wasnât just about the product either â we learned about CRMs, filed for an LLC, built out our first (very humble) social presence, and started creating the backbone of what would become Woof Caps. It took nearly three months of going back and forth with manufacturers, getting sample after sample, and tweaking every tiny detail until we had a product we were proud of. Finally, over Fourth of July Weekend, we launched our first five hats for preorder.
Itâs crazy to look back now and think how small we started. What began as five simple hat designs has grown into a full line of over 80 different products â from new styles and colors to limited editions and collaborations. Weâve learned a lot along the way, sometimes the hard way, but every lesson made us better. Every new product, every tweak to the brand, every message from a happy customer helped us grow into what Woof Caps is today.
Today, weâre proud to have customers in all 50 states and 6 countries. Weâve built an amazing community of over 30K across our channels, and itâs honestly one of the things weâre most grateful for. Woof Caps isnât just about hats â itâs about celebrating the love people have for their dogs, and we feel incredibly lucky to be a small part of that. Weâve also been able to give back by donating to dog charities that mean a lot to us, which was a dream from the very beginning.
From a random conversation at a bar to where we are today, itâs been an incredible journey â and it still feels like we're just getting started. Thank you to every single person whoâs believed in us, supported us, rocked a Woof Cap, or shared our story. Hereâs to the next chapter â we canât wait to show you whatâs coming.