Behind the scenes of Kemo Sabe, where celebrities pay up to $900 for custom cowboy hats

14.10.2024 - 12:13 / insider.com

"Oh man, it's my husky out there crying, sorry," a woman said as she stepped into Kemo Sabe, a luxury Western apparel store in Jackson, Wyoming. "I'm going to have to buy a hat in here. This is so cool."

"Oh, we can certainly help with that," said Kristen Carelas, a sales floor supervisor who molds and customizes hats for customers.

Kemo Sabe started in Aspen, Colorado, in 1990 and has since become well known for its high-end Western hats. Celebrities and icons, from Rihanna to Shania Twain and the Kardashians, have all been spotted wearing Kemo Sabe hats.

If you look at the brand's website, you'll find hats ranging from $225 to $895. Custom additions like bands to wrap around the hats can bring the price up into the thousands. The most expensive band on the company's website costs $3,500.

The store has seven locations in Colorado, Montana, Texas, Utah, and Jackson, Wyoming.

I recently visited the Jackson location and got a behind-the-scenes look at how its employees like Carelas customize the hats and create a one-of-a-kind statement accessory for each customer.

The walls were made of rustic bricks and wooden planks in various colors.

Countless ranch hats sprawled across one wall while cowboy boots lined the other.

The store also sold shiny buckles, vintage jewelry, clothing, knives, and winter accessories like fur-lined leather gloves.

Upstairs, there was a speakeasy serving cocktails.

This seemed like a sensible spot for the artistic workspace since it was the only part of the store with natural light.

Carelas said customization is included in the price of a hat, but some of the decor comes at an additional price.

"Customizations such as a few feathers and branding come at no additional cost, but the bands will cost a wide variety," a representative of Kemo Sabe told BI, adding that they have "hand-dyed silk and leather cording for $10, or handmade leather, sterling silver, semi-precious stones, and diamond hat band options" starting at $95.

"A hat is not only protecting you from the elements — it's representing your personality. You've got to have some fun with it," Carelas, who has been molding and styling hats at Kemo Sabe for just over a year, said.

Carelas said selecting the hat is typically the longest part of the process.

"It is an investment. So we want to get it right," she said. "We have tons of different options. We have more in the back, and we'll bring out every single option."

The store carries two brands of hats — Stetson and Kemo Sabe. Although Stetson makes hats that cost thousands of dollars, Kemo Sabe only sells less expensive Stetson hats that are pre-molded. The Kemo Sabe hats they sell are more expensive.

"We hand-mold every single one," Carelas said of the Kemo Sabe hats,