We didn't set out to become a custom hat company.
When we launched Byward Outfitters in early 2023, the plan was simple: design leather patch hats we liked, sell them online, and see what happened. We had a small collection of outdoor-inspired designs—mountains, wildlife, Canadian icons—and a workshop in Ottawa where we stamped every patch by hand.
That was the whole business. Or so we thought.
The First Custom Request
About a month after launch, we got an email from a local brewery asking if we could make hats with their logo. We hadn't advertised custom work. We didn't even have a page for it on our website. But they'd seen our hats somewhere, liked the quality, and wanted to know if we could do the same thing with their branding.
We said yes.
That first order was small—just a handful of hats. But it opened our eyes to something we hadn't considered. There were businesses out there looking for branded merchandise that didn't feel cheap or generic. They wanted something with substance. Something their team and customers would actually want to wear.
A few weeks later, another inquiry came in. Then another. Word started spreading. Most of our early custom orders came from referrals—people who'd seen the hats we made for someone else and wanted the same for their business.
Why Custom Work Clicked
Looking back, it makes sense that custom orders took off.
Most branded apparel falls into two categories: cheap promotional products that end up in a drawer, or expensive corporate merchandise that requires massive minimum orders. If you're a small business, a local sports team, or a group planning an event, neither option works well.
We fit somewhere in the middle. Our hats are premium—full-grain leather, heat-stamped patches, quality blanks—but we're not a massive wholesaler. We're a small operation, which means we can work with smaller orders. Our minimum is just 5 hats. That's it.
For a lot of our customers, that's the difference between being able to order custom hats and not. A brewery doesn't need 500 hats. A wedding party doesn't need 100. They need 10, maybe 20. And they want those hats to actually look good.
That's what we do.
Learning as We Went
We won't pretend we had everything figured out from day one. Custom work is different from selling your own designs. There's more back-and-forth. More variables. More ways for things to go sideways if you're not paying attention.
Early on, we learned which logo styles translate well to leather and which ones need adjustments. Fine lines and intricate details don't always stamp cleanly. Some designs work better on certain patch shapes. Colours that look great on screen might not pop the same way on a hat.
We built a process around catching these issues before production. Now, every logo gets reviewed before we make the brass stamp. If we see potential problems, we reach out with suggestions. It takes a bit more time upfront, but it means fewer surprises at the end.
We also learned how much our customers value communication. Custom orders aren't like buying something off the shelf. People want to know what's happening with their hats. They want to see mock-ups. They want updates. Being responsive and keeping customers in the loop became a core part of how we operate.
Who Orders Custom Hats
One of the things that surprised us most was the variety of businesses reaching out.
We expected interest from outdoor brands—companies in the camping, fishing, hiking space. And we do work with those. But we've also made hats for construction companies, landscaping crews, restaurants, coffee shops, real estate teams, tech startups, and non-profits.
The common thread isn't industry. It's mindset. Our customers tend to care about quality. They want merchandise that reflects well on their brand. They're not looking for the cheapest option—they're looking for the right option.
We've also done a lot of work with charities and community organizations. Making hats for groups like the Canadian Parks and Wilderness Society has been one of the more rewarding parts of this work. It's good to know our products are helping support causes that matter.
From Side Project to Core Business
Custom orders didn't just become part of our business—they became the biggest part of it.
We still sell our own designs through the website. The Canada Collection, the wildlife hats, the national parks series—those aren't going anywhere. But custom work now drives most of our growth. It's where we spend most of our time. And honestly, it's some of the most satisfying work we do.
There's something different about making a hat for someone else's brand. You're helping them tell their story. You're creating something that represents their business, their team, their community. When we get a reorder from a customer—or when they send us photos of their team wearing the hats—it means we got it right.
That feedback loop keeps us motivated to maintain high standards.
What We've Built
Today, we have a straightforward process for custom orders.
You can use our online customizer to design your hats yourself—choose your hat style, pick a patch shape, upload your logo, and see a real-time preview. Or you can send us your logo and we'll create a mock-up for you. Either way, we review every design before production to make sure it'll stamp cleanly.
Once approved, we mill a custom brass die for your logo, heat-stamp your patches onto full-grain leather, attach them to your selected hats, and run a final quality check before shipping. Most orders go out within 2–3 weeks.
We keep your brass die on file, so reorders are faster. And everything we make is backed by a lifetime craftsmanship guarantee.
It's a simple system, but it works. And it's built on everything we've learned since that first brewery reached out three years ago.
What Comes Next
We're not trying to become a massive operation. That's not the goal.
We like being small. It lets us stay hands-on with every order. It lets us maintain the quality that got us here in the first place. And it lets us keep working directly with our customers instead of handing things off to account managers or overseas factories.
That said, we're always looking for ways to improve. We're exploring new products—keychains, standalone patches, other leather goods that fit our process. We're refining our customizer to make it even easier to design your hats. And we're continuing to invest in the workshop so we can handle more orders without sacrificing quality.
If you've got ideas for products you'd like to see, we're always open to suggestions. Some of our best additions have come from customer feedback.
Let's Work Together
Whether you're a small business looking for branded merchandise, a team that wants matching hats, or a group planning a special event, we'd love to help.
Custom hats are what we do best. And with a 5-hat minimum, quality materials, and a process built around getting the details right, we think you'll be happy with what we make.
Check out our custom hats page to get started, or reach out directly if you have questions. We're here to help.