Melin Brand debuted at retail in late 2013, aiming to up the ante in the hat category by offering premium headwear.
Noticing luxury options in most other accessory categories, Melin aimed to fill the void when it came to high-end headwear by offering hats made from premium materials.
Fast-forward to today and the Melin team – consisting of Brian McDonell, Co-Founder and President; Corey Roth, Co-Founder and COO; Brian Jellig, EVP & Chief of Brand; Shane Ruiz, Sr. Director of Digital Marketing & Ecommerce, and John Vance, Founding Partner – are enjoying what they call a wild ride, growing their luxury hat company across the globe.
Shop-Eat-Surf talked with Melin president Brian McDonell and EVP Brian Jellig to learn more about Melin, including their brand philosophy, what sets their product apart at retail, and what is in store for fall.
What is the brand philosophy?
Brian McDonell: The philosophy of Melin is to create a brand that raises the bar in its category that has a lasting impact on the apparel industry.
We are still in the infancy stages of Melin’s brand life, but the positive influence in the headwear market, where we are focused, is already happening.
It’s really exciting to see this come from a concept dreamed up in a college dorm room, to seeing our hats in premium retailers here in Southern California and around the world.
It’s this mindset of putting in the work necessary to get the results over time that has shaped our brand theme: “This Is Earned.”
What opportunity in the market did the team see to launch a brand like Melin?
Brian Jellig: The opportunity came through really clearly. Growing up as a sales rep and owning a sales agency in the industry, Brian McDonell identified a hole in the current accessories market.
He was a passionate collector of new shoes, sneakers, watches, sunglasses and especially hats. What he noticed was that in every category just listed, there was a premium option. Whether it was a group of competing brands in that premium space or there were simply higher priced, better products on offer in all of those products, but there was no premium option for “cap” style hats at all.
That’s where the “light bulb” moment hit. Before Melin, there was basically nothing premium for your head aside from a basic $25-$35 cotton or wool blended cap, and a lot of the time they had big logos or were like brand or team billboards. So, we saw a clear opportunity to refine that premium space, take the initiative and drive down in our own lane.
What about the product sets Melin apart from other hat brands in the market?
Brian McDonell: The product itself is where it is very clear there are unique differences. Overall, we focus on three main points for every hat design: materials, details, and innovation. Each style we make has to cover those three design points in some way during a critique. So far, we have managed to stay true to this ethos.
Examples would be: if we are going to use neoprene, we will source through Japan for the finest in neoprene. If it’s wool, we’re calling up our friends at Loro Piana for fine cashmere. If it’s leather, it’s going to be Nappa leather used in luxury cars, or vachetta accents and even polished stingray on occasion.
If we are going to perforate a material, we will engineer the panels and customize with our own perf shapes and patterns. If it is sublimation, we customize all the art ourselves through our network of designers.
Melin hats also have six “design constants” in each style, which are:
- An 88-point inspection process
- Each hat either comes with or has an optional add-on custom display or travel box
- Our signature undervisor seal, which is a molded 3-D tab designed for your thumb to preserve your hat’s cleanliness and longevity
- Custom molded trim details
- Interior moisture wicking lining
- A hidden besom stash pocket
The collections we develop are broken down into four main categories. At the top tier, we have Melin Red Label Luxury, which is very highly limited at $1,000 per hat on up. These hats are generally limited to only 30 made worldwide and they will use precious metals on the trims and USA domestic jewels, such as diamonds and sapphires.
The next tier, we have Melin White Label Limited, which is premium and also very curated and limited at $280-$500. These styles are limited to about 300 per style and utilize premium leathers, high-grade fabrics such as Tuxedo Wool and premium molded trims.
Next is Melin Black Label Lifestyle, where the bulk of our styles live. These are priced from $59 up to $250 at the top. Following all our design points of discipline, the Melin Black Label Lifestyle hats will use Lamb Nappa Leathers, premium Wool and Cashmere blends, Lyocell Organics, Egyptian Cottons and on to Micro Ripstop Nylons.
Then we have a Melin TECH category, which we coined “Trans Element Capable Headwear,” which are priced from $59-$150. They are H2O compatible, made with premium technical materials and are treated to repel water. They are also reinforced with Ballistic Nylon taping and heavier construction thread.
Any particular styles that are best-sellers?
Brian Jellig: For unit volume, the new Watermelin collection is a winner. They retail at $59 and are selling out fast, we are reordering and buying back into the demand and planning pre-books with accounts into the future.
Our customers are an eclectic group though, they are people from all walks of life who love hats and appreciate the added details and design styles we’re putting out. So, we also sell a lot of styles over the $100 price point with strong numbers.
Our Vision hat style, priced at $120, is another big winner for us. It is very clean, with a Perforated Nappa Leather brim and organic Lyocell crown with gloss dipped trim emblems as well as a handmade leather strap-back. That style is cranking for us right now.
At the top end, our Bar series of styles is moving constantly. The Bar is priced at $250-$280 and utilizes high-end materials and a signature radius cut metal trim piece across the crown. They are unique and selling everywhere they are placed at retail.
What is the most important product or product story for fall, and how will you market it?
Brian McDonell: We’re still finishing up our Spring/Summer 2016 offering and big story that Brian Jellig designed called “Watermelin,” the H2O compatible series and new best sellers. Those styles are continuing and we’re evolving more for Fall 16 with new fits and some new materials.
The lead story for Melin’s newest collection is: “Go Anywhere, Do Anything. Live Free.” The story telling shows our newest ambassadors and brand partners using our hats in different settings outside of where you would normally see a hat being worn.
Aside from that, what we are seeing is a move into the more curved brim and relaxed crown styles, which hasn’t been the case until now.
So, we have a few new styles in what we call our “Vintage Fit” curved brims for Fall 16. We also have hombre dipped and faded denim in our newest Bar hat. Chambray Egyptian cotton that is hand-waxed in our Watermelin series is new and proving to be very strong, as well as the evolution of Japanese neoprenes.
How many doors are you in and what type of accounts?
We started in 90 doors at the end of 2013, and we are currently sold in about 300 retailers across the globe. From premium doors like Ron Robinson in Los Angeles, Bloomingdales at the Beverly Center & Soho, and Saks Fifth Avenue in NYC to specialty accounts like Industrial Ride Shop in Arizona.
Any international distribution or e-commerce?
We have a great distributor in Australia as well as in Southeast Asia. We’re excited to be launching later this year into Japan and Europe.
As for e-commerce, we work closely with our retailers who prioritize their own online stores. We try to help support them with access to downloadable images, social media content, advertising support and some retargeting help as well.
