New Member Spotlight: Zito Hat Co.
Posted on Apr. 18, 2022 / Subscribe 0
We are so excited to welcome Zito Hat Co. to the Leucadia 101 Mainstreet Association! Austin Zito brings a unique and timeless art to Coast Highway with quality headwear to last a lifetime, from generation to generation. We got to chat inspiration, obstacles, and personal style... and hope you get just as excited as us to embark on a custom hat-making journey!
“We make full custom, handmade, one-of-a-kind hats entirely from scratch, using traditional techniques and materials in order to create the finest hats in the world! Each hat is built to the exact size, shape and specifications selected by our clients, and we encourage creativity and collaboration, resulting in a highly personal piece of headwear made to last generations. We are family owned and operated and are thrilled to be in our first retail store. We look forward to delivering a unique experience to the community of Leucadia and can’t wait to meet y’all in our little hat shop!”
- Austin Zito
- Where are you from?
- Originally Im from San Diego, though over the last decade I’ve lived in San Francisco, LA, Austin, TX, Encinitas and currently Vista. I actually started the business in my garage in Cardiff so Leucadia felt like a natural home for Zito Hat Co. as the epicenter for unique and funky retail, restaurants and artisans in North County. I love getting to ride down 101 every morning on the way to the shop. Who wouldn’t want to have their store 1 Block from the ocean?
- How did you become a hat maker?
- I was working for an artisan leather company in Venice Beach and one of the best hat makers in the world started making a line of hats for us. His name was Cowboy Greg. He came down to show us how to take care of them and we connected over our love of skateboarding and so he began to show me how to manipulate them a little more. He passed me along to another local hatter who walked me through my first two hats before I had to move away. From there I was hooked and started making them for my wife and I, which soon grew into making them for friends and family and eventually into a side business I used to pay for my vintage motorcycle builds. When Greg passed away, I ended up acquiring all of his tools, at which point I decided to take my business full time.
- What inspires your designs?
- I’m inspired by the places I’ve called home as well as the things I like to do. Going from California to Texas and back over the last Decade refined my style into what it is today. The traditional techniques and silhouettes as well as a love for functional headwear design stems from my time spent in Texas. Combined with the effortless styling of the California coast, I feel I have honed in on a style of my own. Aside from that, skateboarding and vintage motorcycle culture has always had an influence on what I create, but the single greatest inspiration for my hats are my customers. Because every single hat I make is custom made, one at a time, it is really more a collaboration between myself and my customer’s combined imaginations. I really love to design hats that are highly personal and easily wearable everyday.
- How long on average does it take to make a hat?
- If you were to time how long my hands are physically touching each hat I make, Id say 15-20 hours. Currently though, my lead time on getting a custom hat made is about 5-6 months.
- Have you encountered any obstacles thru the pandemic as a small business?
- I actually took my business full time about 1 month before the pandemic. I fully quit my job and went for it and when the pandemic hit, instead of failing, I felt that people were actually rallying around myself and other artisans to ensure that we were taken care of and supported. It was incredible to see my community show such strong support of art.
- Do you have a favorite hat style from a particular era?
- While most of what I make is some twist on a traditional hat, with personal touches and added flare, my personal favorites to make are super traditional, full cowboy hats. I don’t often get asked to make them here in California, but I’m hoping Ill get the chance to do more in the future!
- Who are some of your current favorite designer(s) out there?
I find myself really enjoying small, independent designers mostly. Locally, I love @weare.stellar custom jewelry, my shop neighbor Zach Miller makes killer custom surfboards @zakrashapes and stocks them at his shop @social.surf.club , @freenotecloth up in San Juan Capistrano makes incredible “Made in USA” heritage clothing, as well as @esby_apparel out of Austin, TX. Support local,support made in USA and invest in high quality! Its good for you and good for the planet!
Follow Zito Hat Co HERE
Learn More about Zito Hat Co HERE
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