About City Hat Co

How It started…

City Hat Co was founded in 2020 by Caroline and Tommy Lee, a father and daughter duo from Birmingham, MI. The idea stemmed from a conversation while working from home during the COVID-19 lockdown. Initially, they began speaking about the impact the pandemic was having on families, especially children, and then drifted to fashion, branding and how to start a business.

They began to ask: “what if we created our own business with a mission of giving back to the community?” After multiple discussions, they ultimately designed a hat with purpose – one that represents beloved cities with unique style.

Initially, Caroline and Tommy kicked out a small batch of stylish hats and gave them to friends and family to wear around town. The response to the brand was overwhelmingly positive, including from community members who wanted to purchase their own hat.

Inspired with the feedback, the Lees took a leap of faith and ordered more product (which is assembled in Hamtramck, MI), built a website and placed the hats in a retail shop in Bloomfield Hills, MI. They continue to find inspiration for design and color schemes in Detroit, Michigan and beyond. Austin, TX, is now the second location to bear the City Hat Co logo, and they plan to add many more cities in the future.

In 2022, Caroline and Tommy decided to increase their charitable pledge from 5% to 10% of revenue and chose The Children’s Center of Wayne County in Detroit as the first recipient. City Hat will continue to vet charities dedicated to civic improvement and are targeting other deserving organizations.