Jason Momoa Makes Ruby’s Dream Come True!

Story time! We’ve been waiting for Silicon Valley Comic Con for so long. Well, more accurately, our lead designer, Ruby Roxanne has been waiting for Silicon Valley Comic Con for so long. Months ago she bought tickets for a meet n’ greet with one of her favorite actors, Jason Momoa. Jason’s bohemian fashion vibes and love for hats has always inspired Ruby, and she wanted to make him a gift to show her appreciation. Ruby set out designing a hat specifically made for Jason, and before it was even done, everyone around the office loved it so much we decided to release it in our 2020 catalog. We’ll get to those details here shortly. Anyways, back to the real story…

Arguably the most important part of a hat is the fit. You can have the coolest hat ever, but if it doesn’t fit then everything is out the window. Designing a hat specially for someone is a daunting task in and of itself, but designing a hat for someone without knowing their head size is a definite risk. Ruby’s husband, Jim, regularly models our hats. Ladies, ladies, I know, he’s married. I’m sorry! Ruby was talking about designing the hat with Jim, and was expressing her concerns about the size, when they decided to brainstorm a bit. Jim wears a 2XL hat, and Jason is about 3 inches taller than Jim, and has a long head of hair. They settled that the best idea was to make the hat in 3XL and cross their fingers because after all, our hats are customizable with the adjustable sized sweatbands.

Fast forward to the big day, and Ruby overlooked the set time that her group was supposed to be in line to meet Jason. She had just got back from a two week vacation and was still jet lagged.

By the time she noticed the set time, she only had 15 minutes to drive an hour and a half to the Silicon Valley Comic Con to get in line and meet Jason! Peeling out of her driveway at speeds that would make Dale Earnhardt’s palms sweat, she slowed down the car just long enough to pick up Leslie and off they went!

They ended up being two hours late to the event, which was absolutely perfect because Jason’s flight to San Jose was delayed. They hopped in line with Ruby carrying the hat, and patiently waited their turn. Around this time, Ruby noticed that there was a huge list of rules to abide by when meeting Jason. No cellphones, no pictures, no personal belongings! Ruby’s heart sank. However, she would not be defeated so easily. Being the rebellious queen that she is, she forked over her wallet and cellphone, but  wore Jason’s would-be hat as her own. Even though the hat was entirely too large, she got through security and it was her turn to meet Jason! Ruby had slipped her business card into the sweatliner of the hat, and as she was passing her handmade gift to Jason, it slipped out and fell to the ground. Ruby panicked, as security was rushing everyone through as there was no time for chit-chat, but Jason slowed everyone down and made room to slowly bend down and pick up the business card. Jason then effortlessly flipped the hat onto his head and started to smile. Saying that it fit like a glove would be an understatement. This hat looked like it was made for him, which, well…it was!

Jason looked like he loved it. Although the meet n’ greet lasted only a short while, Ruby was beyond happy that she was able to get Jason his hat. Ruby and Leslie also got a picture with Jason. They high fived each other after they collapsed on the floor and realized the storm they had gone through. Was it worth it, oh hell yes! Starting next year, this hat will be available as the Frontier leather top hat. Ruby hopes to get the opportunity to work with Jason in the future if he is need of design expertise on some handmade leather projects! And also, Jason, if you’re reading this, Ruby forgot the bohemian leather scrunchy she made for you at home! Come stop by and visit our factory if you’re in our neck of the woods!

A huge thank you to Star Binding/Printing Company!

Lately here at American Hat Makers, one of our biggest goals has been designing and attaining all new tip stickers for the inside of our hats. These stickers are meant to carry our name out into the world, and make sure that our hats are marked and noticeable so people know just where they came from! Hannah, our marketing director, spent months going from company to company trying to find a suitable match for manufacturing our tip stickers but to no avail. That is, until we found Star Binding/Printing Company!

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Our all new tip sticker design, thanks to Star Printing!

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In business for over 103 years, Star Binding/Printing are experts at what they do. Family owned since 1914, and providing exceptional service ever since, it’s very clear that they have made a name for themselves in the printing world. We were so excited when we came across them because we knew we had found our match. They worked with us so diligently in the design of our tip stickers and went to every length to insure that we were satisfied that we couldn’t go on without giving this awesome company a shout out. They said they love working with people in the hat industry because there are so many unique, interesting, and wonderful individuals they come across, and that everyone is so connected with each other! As far as their facility goes, it’s chock-full of original, antiquated equipment that was used since the start of the company. They even have an authentic Thomas Edison Dictaphone from 1878 on display!

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The Thomas Edison Dictaphone!

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Stuart’s grandfather (on the right) is still in charge of the company!

Their CEO is a man by the name of Stuart and he is the brains behind the operation, and is personally involved in every aspect of the company. He went to every length possible to deliver a product that was not only of the utmost quality, but carried us through the process with ultimate customer service. If you’re ever looking for a tip sticker or anything related to the countless other amazing services they provide, you can’t go wrong with choosing Star Printing/Binding! Here’s a link to their website!

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Garth and Stuart Zatlin – CEO
Star Binding Mfg. Co.
Star Printing Company, LLC