My new start up turns 3 hats into 729 hats!!! Already in the process, looking for advice/feedback!

[kpoa]

Me and two of my friends have been working on a project for some time now. We created our product in college and had the opportunity to present it to the school. We had a great response and jumped to design and filing for a patent. I understand that we probably should have waited to file for a patent, but being the young excited entrepreneurs that we are, we just jumped in. This may lead to a hard lesson down the road, but what done is done and we are excited to get things going.

I am looking for advice, feedback, or anything that can help us progress and find success. No better place than this forum.

What it is:

Our product is the worlds first fully self-customizable hat. (baseball snapback style) . We have designed a hat that has different interchangeable parts. With our unique design you are able to change the brim, top button, back snap strap pieces, and the patch/logo in the front in a matter of seconds. Our goal/challenge was to make it so it looks and feels like a regular hat. (no bulkiness)

Mission Statement:

Our company provides a simple and effective way to create a new unique hat, to match any style, in under 30 seconds. It is the first and only fully self customizable hat in the world. Our product allows people to become creators of their own personal headwear and at the same time, save money.

If you could create your own hat, in a very simple and quick way, would you want to do it?

The problems with hats today are;

• They are expensive. Price ranges between $30- $50 a piece.
• They get damaged/ dirty easily. When a hat gets dirty or damaged the value decreases. How many hats do you have just collecting dust in a drawer or cupboard?
• A new hat is needed for different looks/styles, which means more money. A hat is a fashion accessory to compliment style. Different colors/styles means more hats are needed.
• The “wow” effect of a new hat wears off fast. New hats become old news fast.

What makes us unique/different?

Three regular hats could cost anywhere between $90-$150 and in return you have exactly that, three hats.

With us, you get a lot more with three hats. You recieve three caps, three top buttons, three receiving snap back strap pieces , three connector snap back snap pieces, three brims, three patches.

You can mix and match and create whatever you want to match your preference.

3 complete hats with us = 729 different hat combinations , yup you didn't read it wrong. There are a total of 729 Hat combinations from just 3 of our hats.

Thank you for reading. I will definitely track my progress and update everything going on. Please let me know what you think. Any and all feedback is welcome. If you have any experience with anything like this please connect with me, I'd love the opportunity to learn and pick your brain.

 

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[Johnny boy]

genius as long as it looks great

see you on shark tank

 

[csalvato]

Looks similar to Canopy.

Custom snapback hats - custom hat design - Canopy

Sustainable, Eco Progressive custom snapback Hats with Interchangeable Patches and Velcro designed by street artists

wearecanopy.com

 

[kpoa]

Looks similar to Canopy.

Custom snapback hats - custom hat design - Canopy

Sustainable, Eco Progressive custom snapback Hats with Interchangeable Patches and Velcro designed by street artists

wearecanopy.com

I have actually looked these guys up as well. Our hat does not use velcro. I never was a huge fan of interchangeable patches using velcro (personal opinion) . We use a different method. Another difference is that we don't only have interchangeable patches, but other pieces as well .

Thank you for your response!

 

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[Simon Angel]

Awesome idea, good luck!

 

[csalvato]

Who is your ideal customer?

For example, I think a hat enthusiast (e.g. someone who shops at Lids and has a different color hat to go with every outfit) would probably think an interchangeable hat is cheap.

I don't know this market well, but am wondering if you have identified who your ideal customer is?

 

[kpoa]

Who is your ideal customer?

For example, I think a hat enthusiast (e.g. someone who shops at Lids and has a different color hat to go with every outfit) would probably think an interchangeable hat is cheap.

I don't know this market well, but am wondering if you have identified who your ideal customer is?

I appreciate your question! I grew up with 8 brothers, so sharing clothes and hand-me-downs were a part of life. Hats, like every other clothing item, was usually shared. I love the look of a hat, but didn't always have the luxury of being able to afford them.

I am not going to sit here and claim we will take Lids or another big hat companies customers. We offer a product that allows people to create something unique while saving money.

We have gone through many different designs and renditions. We knew that if our hat didn't look or feel like a regular hat, it wouldn't work. Design definitely something we dug deep into so it wouldn't look cheap or flimsy.

( I may have gone off target a little bit, I hope I was able to answer your question. If not, shoot me a dm and lets talk there?)

 

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[csalvato]

I appreciate your question! I grew up with 8 brothers, so sharing clothes and hand-me-downs were a part of life. Hats, like every other clothing item, was usually shared. I love the look of a hat, but didn't always have the luxury of being able to afford them.

I am not going to sit here and claim we will take Lids or another big hat companies customers. We offer a product that allows people to create something unique while saving money.

We have gone through many different designs and renditions. We knew that if our hat didn't look or feel like a regular hat, it wouldn't work. Design definitely something we dug deep into so it wouldn't look cheap or flimsy.

( I may have gone off target a little bit, I hope I was able to answer your question. If not, shoot me a dm and lets talk there?)

Sounds like you're thinking a middle class parent that wants their kid to be able to have many hats for their kids but can't afford them?

 

[kpoa]

Sounds like you're thinking a middle class parent that wants their kid to be able to have many hats for their kids but can't afford them?

We do want to make something affordable, but at the same time look clean enough for those who do wear a hat regularly.

 

[Private Witt]

So if I own 7 brands I could just buy this hat and switch out the logo and have a new hat for each brand every day?

 

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[kpoa]

So if I own 7 brands I could just buy this hat and switch out the logo and have a new hat for each brand every day?

I am going to be careful with the word "brand" , instead going to substitute it for the word "patch/design" . Yes you could have a new hat with different "patch" every day . But why stop there? Get a matching top button to switch out , or even the back snap straps.

By using the fundamental counting principle; we can find how many hats/combinations we can creat with 7 full (different) complete hats.

7 caps / 7 brims / 7 top buttons / 7 patches / 7 connector snap pieces / 7 recievinh snap pieces

7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 x 7 =The amount of DIFFERENT/NEW hats you can create!

 

[foodiepersecond]

I didn't know that you were a person of many hats

 

[Flint]

Who is your ideal customer?

For example, I think a hat enthusiast (e.g. someone who shops at Lids and has a different color hat to go with every outfit) would probably think an interchangeable hat is cheap.

I don't know this market well, but am wondering if you have identified who your ideal customer is?

I agree, this may be the most important question at this stage of your journey @kpoa.

Look at Crocs and their success. It wasn't the price that won their ideal customer. Enter Cara and other high school girls (also, see around 10:16 for their customisation elements and hear what Andrew Rees, CEO of Crocs, has to say about their customers):

View: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aDIocMKXO4Q


The whole video is a great story of how a strong brand has been created (note that Crocs solve both emotional/social AND functional problem).

 

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[kpoa]

@Flint thank you so much for this! Will definitely watch and take your advice to heart!

 

[100k]

Sorry I'm gonna have to disagree with everyone.
Who here has ever in their life thought to themselves (I NEED a hat that can turn into 3 hats or 100 hats).

Nobody(unless you include Jamiroquai), you're not fulfilling a need or want IMO.

This is a gimmicky product, let's see some pictures of your prototype if you have any.

Otherwise I would suggest you move forward with an idea that solves an urgent, painful problem instead.

 

[kpoa]

Sorry I'm gonna have to disagree with everyone.
Who here has ever in their life thought to themselves (I NEED a hat that can turn into 3 hats or 100 hats).

Nobody, you're not fulfilling a need or want IMO.

This is a gimmicky product, let's see some pictures of your prototype if you have one.

If no, I would suggest you move forward with an idea that solves a urgent, painful problem instead.

Gimmicky, yes i guess you can put it in that category. It is a little crazy, I do admit that.

The whole idea is to offer something that hasn't been offered yet. To provide the tools to create a unique hat in a matter of seconds and save money at the same time.

I see a hat as something With different parts. If one of those parts gets ruined, instead of throwing the hat out, you can now buy the single part while salvaging the rest.


That was probably a terrible example lol I do understand what you are saying. And again all feedback and advise is welcome. I need to see feedback from all sides, so thank you for being honest.

I will post pics and the entire process as well.

 

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[LordGanon]

Hmm. You know, I'm not a fashion person. I love recombination products. But...this idea sounds to me like a plot point of an Adam Sandler movie.

But I could be totally wrong. Test the market. Don't sink too much money in the beginning. Produce a small quantity, sell possibly even underpriced, and maybe walk away with small losses. If people turn out to love it - you can always go bigger.

Also, to extend your product: Partner up with someone who does custom patches, so your customers can design their own online. That might catch them.

I find it ridiculously hard to find a balance between the ideas of "ultra-customizable" products everyone says are so en vogue, and the Apple strategy of strictly limiting customer choice to make their buying decision easier.

 

[Simon Angel]

Sorry I'm gonna have to disagree with everyone.
Who here has ever in their life thought to themselves (I NEED a hat that can turn into 3 hats or 100 hats).

Nobody(unless you include Jamiroquai), you're not fulfilling a need or want IMO.

This is a gimmicky product, let's see some pictures of your prototype if you have any.

Otherwise I would suggest you move forward with an idea that solves an urgent, painful problem instead.

Look at the video on crocs just above you. A fully customizable hat would be a big hit. And it does solve an urgent, painful problem for many - to be unique and express themselves.

He could also release limited edition hat parts for numerous different holidays, sports leagues and events (Christmas, Halloween, St. Patrick's day. Nascar, Indycar, NBA, NFL, Super Bowl) and more with a license as well.

Endless possibilities, but judging by the crocs video, you can't go for too broad of a market and appeal to everyone, so the limited edition variants should REALLY be limited edition, with only a few novel ones per year.

 

[Flint]

Before going yae or nay, I'd assess willingness to pay (magnitude) and market size (scale).

I wouldn't focus on the product. This is just a solution (or not) to a problem. Is the need big enough?

Back to the ideal customer: who are they, what do they value, what do they complain about, what do they already pay for (demonstrated cashflow trumps declarations).

 

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[kpoa]

Hmm. You know, I'm not a fashion person. I love recombination products. But...this idea sounds to me like a plot point of an Adam Sandler movie.

But I could be totally wrong. Test the market. Don't sink too much money in the beginning. Produce a small quantity, sell possibly even underpriced, and maybe walk away with small losses. If people turn out to love it - you can always go bigger.

Also, to extend your product: Partner up with someone who does custom patches, so your customers can design their own online. That might catch them.

I find it ridiculously hard to find a balance between the ideas of "ultra-customizable" products everyone says are so en vogue, and the Apple strategy of strictly limiting customer choice to make their buying decision easier.

Yeah we may have jumped the gun to early on this with filing straight out of the gate. Only time will tell if that was a smart move or not.

I'm sure there will be hard lessons learned throughout the process. Whatever happens it'll be one hell of an experience.

Thank you for your comment! I appreciate the honesty and will bring it up to my team so we can discuss it.

 

[kpoa]

Look at the video on crocs just above you. A fully customizable hat would be a big hit. And it does solve an urgent, painful problem for many - to be unique and express themselves.

He could also release limited edition hat parts for numerous different holidays, sports leagues and events (Christmas, Halloween, St. Patrick's day. Nascar, Indycar, NBA, NFL, Super Bowl) and more with a license as well.

Endless possibilities, but judging by the crocs video, you can't go for too broad of a market and appeal to everyone, so the limited edition variants should REALLY be limited edition, with only a few novel ones per year.

Thank you! I am sure he was expressing his opinion (like I asked) and that was most likely the first thought that Popped into his mind. It was good to hear and give us something to look into.

Thank you as well for your comment and for "standing up" for the product. We do plan on doing a limited edition business model. I love the suggestion!

 

[Rabby]

I'll buy one if you name it Hat of Theseus. I can also point out that would make the brand initials HOT.

 

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[Plymouth Oyster]

I'll buy one if you name it Hat of Theseus. I can also point out that would make the brand initials HOT.

That is actually very cool, I mean hot hahaha

 

[LordGanon]

I'll buy one if you name it Hat of Theseus. I can also point out that would make the brand initials HOT.

You are a branding genius!

 

[Fr33zerPop]

Here's what I was musing while reading the comments:

-- does interchangeable parts solve overall hat style?:
I like 3 types of hats: One that started it's life with that intentionally (at the factory) worn curve-brim style (think well-loved baseball cap). Another is the card-flat brim style, intended only to make me look like a white rapper. The third kind I might like is an 80's style retro foam-front/mesh back with a punny logo about fishing that looks intentionally corny, like I bought it at a truck stop.

-- Is 729 combos really a selling point?
In my mind, most combinations would be gaudy, like I work at Hot Dog On a Stick. But, maybe there's a market for parents who's kids would like it in a Lego-sort of way?

-- Is the licensed branding or imagery essential to it's success?
If it's not the overall style of the hat that draws me to it, it's the logo. Like buying a t-shirt, I'm pulling the trigger on Amazon because I love that it has a retro-sunset with a Yeti walking a unicorn. (yeah. Should arrive Thursday.) I'd be concerned that a lot of the value (or at least the decision to buy) may be equally weighted between the hat AND the pun, phrase, picture, or branded mark that you sell with it.

-- Do people want to put that much effort into their hat?
Another simpler idea would be a non-changing hat with multiple icons, or a minimally changing hat, like a black or grey brim option.

 

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[kpoa]

Here's what I was musing while reading the comments:

-- does interchangeable parts solve overall hat style?:
I like 3 types of hats: One that started it's life with that intentionally (at the factory) worn curve-brim style (think well-loved baseball cap). Another is the card-flat brim style, intended only to make me look like a white rapper. The third kind I might like is an 80's style retro foam-front/mesh back with a punny logo about fishing that looks intentionally corny, like I bought it at a truck stop.

-- Is 729 combos really a selling point?
In my mind, most combinations would be gaudy, like I work at Hot Dog On a Stick. But, maybe there's a market for parents who's kids would like it in a Lego-sort of way?

-- Is the licensed branding or imagery essential to it's success?
If it's not the overall style of the hat that draws me to it, it's the logo. Like buying a t-shirt, I'm pulling the trigger on Amazon because I love that it has a retro-sunset with a Yeti walking a unicorn. (yeah. Should arrive Thursday.) I'd be concerned that a lot of the value (or at least the decision to buy) may be equally weighted between the hat AND the pun, phrase, picture, or branded mark that you sell with it.

-- Do people want to put that much effort into their hat?
Another simpler idea would be a non-changing hat with multiple icons, or a minimally changing hat, like a black or grey brim option.

Thank you so much for your response!!! In our minds, 739 is a selling point because it represents our consumer surplus. ( more bang for their buck )

Licensing, we acknowledge, will be difficult in the beginning. It is not however, essential to the success of our product. We have a marketing strategy in place to attack a more creative unique approach to the designs. (just like the yeti image you mentioned above.)

The effort put into the hat isn't much at all. We focused on it being as simple as possible, while keeping the feel and look in tact.

I agree that there is a lot going on and that's what we are going for. I will however take your advice and maybe simplify it or take some things away, if that's the better route to go.

Again, your feedback def helped!!!

 

[Flint]

Still going @kpoa?

Saw these and thought you may want to check how they're doing it:

SNAPS

SNAPS exists to make a thoroughly original product that gives each of us a new way to show off what we love and connect with the things we are passionate about. Snaps slip over the strap on your snapback hat. It's not just a hat accessory, it's part of your story. Featuring SNAPS x NBA and...

snapsofficial.com

Cap Components

One stop shop for all cap components and cap making supplies. We provides all the components needed to make professional grade leather strapback and snapback baseball caps. Components are great for cap manufacturing, replacement, and cap customization.

capsupplyco.com

 

[Ravens_Shadow]

Interesting thread and idea, very interested to see where this goes and I hope you hop on it quickly!

 

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[kpoa]

Still going @kpoa?

Saw these and thought you may want to check how they're doing it:

SNAPS

SNAPS exists to make a thoroughly original product that gives each of us a new way to show off what we love and connect with the things we are passionate about. Snaps slip over the strap on your snapback hat. It's not just a hat accessory, it's part of your story. Featuring SNAPS x NBA and...

snapsofficial.com

Cap Components

One stop shop for all cap components and cap making supplies. We provides all the components needed to make professional grade leather strapback and snapback baseball caps. Components are great for cap manufacturing, replacement, and cap customization.

capsupplyco.com

still going! had to get things going with our developers! But yes I have researched these guys as well. Thank you for the information.

 

[kpoa]

Interesting thread and idea, very interested to see where this goes and I hope you hop on it quickly!

Thank you I am pushing as hard as I can right now! will keep you posted!