When I started the Rescue Swimmer Shop I had never created a hat... Absolute zero experience.

The first piece of headgear was the "A" School hat.  That hat began with a vision of 3D puff embroidery.  The task was not as easy as I thought it would be... "put this on this" did not pan out.  As you can see below the first prototype did not go as I had envisioned. 

The silhouette is a difficult image to embroider, there's a lot of small details and the image can get distorted. Not an easy task to ask of someone.

After trashing that prototype I found another company that gave it a go... that did not pass inspection either.

I then thought I would have a custom patch made and sew it on the hats... my brilliant idea looked like an arts and craft project from 6th grade.

Although I wanted to do something different and unique, embroidery straight onto the cap looked professional and I was satisfied . The first batch was perfect and the launch was a success. I placed another bulk order excited to sell, but when they arrived the embroidery was not to my expectations.  Could I have sold them and people maybe not notice or care?  Probably... That's not what the RS shop is about though.  I want everything that leaves the Rescue Swimmer Shop to be the best representation of my work.  Every single purchase matters to me, I want everyone over the moon about what they have bought. The "A" School hat was scrapped until I started receiving multiple requests and found another vendor.

The "A" School hat was great, but I wanted to be better... I wanted my own Brand hat.

 I did a lot of research and found a company that could create the Rescue Swimmer Shop Brand hat. Custom seam tape to the RS Shop, Trademark on the closure loop and RSS label inside. These hats were also a big success, but I was still in search of better.

Finally I found a manufacture that could cut and sew the hats with all the amazing details I wanted. A liner with any design I could imagine, stunning seam tape and beautiful PVC patches. That's what it's really about for me... making my imagination a reality. The hats are now comparable to the quality of those $70 hats that are out there.

So the hats have been a two and a half year process. Failure, success, failure and then tremendous success.

I am always trying to improve and create the absolute best products possible at that moment.  One thing I can promise... I have given every product the best of my ability at that time.