Press
303 Magazine
MEET ENCOUNTER HAT CO, THE MAD HATTERS OF DENVER
Wearing a hat is a genuine statement of character and personality and no accessory enables you to change up a look or silhouette quite like it. Nobody understands this more than Kyle Theret, owner of Encounter Hat Co, a customizable, high-quality, felt hat company that offers customers a barrage of bespoke hat styles to choose from.
The art of wearing hats has seen a precipitous decline and become elusive so most of us have resigned our heads to a hatless life. Being both functional and stylish, Encounter Hat Co is proving that hats are having a full resurgence. They come in handy on those bad hair days, they give us a touch of class and sophistication and, most importantly, hats have the surest ability to add an interesting and unique accent to your outfits while simultaneously boosting your confidence. Finding one that is well-fitted can be synonymous with finding your signature piece and Encounter Hat Co is doing just that with their customers — one hat at a time.
“Theret is an artist with a truly rare range of expression which reflects a deep personal passion for artwork when it comes to making the hats and the final product.” -Koya Nyangi
Read the full interview with 303 Magazine Editorial Stylist, Koya Nyangi here
5280 Denver’s Mile High Magazine
This Denver Company Will Handcraft Your Perfect Hat
Kyle Theret owner of Denver's Encounter Hat Co., mold their felt hats to fit each individual client. The result? A customized, high-quality topper that you won't find elsewhere.
Denver-based Encounter Hat Co. claims to be “the most customizable, high-quality felt hat company in the world.” Whether or not that statement holds true, the three-and-a-half-year-old company, created by Kyle Theret, spares no detail when working with clients to create their perfect topper. And in true Denver fashion, you can even enjoy some whiskey or wine while you watch the pair work their magic.
“We listen to every customer,” Theret says. “Because of the size of [our company], we’re able to figure out a way to make the most customizable hat—whether it’s made out of a material that nobody else uses, it’s a style that nobody else does, or it’s just a funky crease that you want and can’t find anywhere else. That’s what we’ll do.”
Read the full interview with 5280’s Joce Blake
Sensi Magazine
Meet the guys behind Denver’s hottest fashion start up.
Most of the materials they use are American made, sourced through the designers’ network of hat blockers, leather workers, and satin producers from across the country, though they have imported from Italy. The custom-fitting process is done in person, taking around an hour from start to finish. Because the hats are personalized, it’s a more engaging experience than something purchased off the rack—with a more enriching end result that’s producing a legion of fans and followers. The brand is drawing customers across the board—whether at pop-ups, private parties, the National Western Stock Show (any western event, really), cannabis conferences, or any other time they get the styles in front of Denver’s fashion-forward millennials.
In September, Encounter Hat Co. heads to Paris Fashion Week to collaborate with fashion designer C.R. Lee in her solo show. They’ll be fitting models with black and white hats to complement the runway designs. Catch them in the Mile High during Denver Fashion Week in early November. “Denver has become that perfect blend between western wear, where people wear hats often, and high-fashion influences coming in,” says Theret. “We want to introduce the high quality seen in western-style hats to the urban market.”
Those are the types of hats these two young guys are making in the Mile High. Designers, artisans, college-athletes-turned-millners-and-courtiers, Kyle Theret runs Encounter Hat Co., a brand brimming with promise and on the rise. Get to know him now so once they make it big you can say you knew them back when.
Read the full interview