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The Process

Step 1The Idea

A whiteboard of brand-name ideas, two crossed out, with ‘Allen’s Shag Carpets’ circled

We brainstorm vintage companies we wish were real. The kind that were popular back when radio jingles were catchy and cool people still smoked on airplanes.

  • Location
  • Year
  • Founder characteristics
  • Competition

Step 2The Design

Fiction Apparel brand logos
The three Smooths logo variations laid out in color in Canva on the computer Printed Smooths logo designs marked up by hand in pen, the final lockup approved for samples

Getting a look right means stepping into the head of a founder who never existed, working out what he would have wanted on the hat and what he would have thrown out. Guys who ran their business on gut feelings alone.

Step 3Bring It to Life

A dense, layered collage of AI-rendered scenes of our Fiction Apparel characters at work and out in their worlds

We genuinely love the creative process. The company, the name, the logo, the story: those are all ours. The one thing we can’t do is go back and photograph people and companies that never existed. We use AI to bring the stories to life.

Step 4Production, Samples and Quality

Production and quality check: embroidered Smooths logo swatches, the finished hat, and a ruler measuring the stitch placement

With the story written, the design finished, and the character brought to life, it’s finally time to make the hat. We start with a sample and go over everything: the stitching, the measurements, the color, the fit. Nothing moves forward until it’s exactly right. Then we place the order, shoot the photos, and ship them ourselves.

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