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

Kemo Sabe, a luxury Western apparel store in Jackson, Wyoming, is known for its custom cowboy hats, seen on celebrities like Rihanna and Shania Twain.

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  • Kemo Sabe in Jackson, Wyoming, customizes high-end Western hats that cost up to $895.
  • Rihanna, Shania Twain, and other celebrities have dished out for the luxurious ranch hats.
  • I went behind the scenes to see how the hats are shaped, stylized, and branded for custom looks.

"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 toShania Twainand 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.

The exterior of KemoSabe on a hilly street with plants hanging from the awnings

The exterior of the Kemo Sabe brick-and-mortar in 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 store epitomized the American West

Inside a western store with brick walls, hats and boots on shelves lining the walls, racking of clothing, and display cases of knives, jewelry, and other accessories

A wide view of the store.

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.

A bar with a glass water jug, cups, and a whisky tap on the counter

A bar upstairs serves cocktails.

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.

Hat customization takes place behind the counter at the front of the store

An accessories stand for cowboy hats in a store with wood floors and a wood counter in front of an animal skull on the wall behind the counter

Accessories line a counter at the front of the store.

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 started the customization process by selecting a hat off the wall

A wall lined with cowboy hats with boots lining the ground beneath them

Hats and boots for sale at Kemo Sabe.

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, adding that they start flat upon selection, and the employees shape them in-house to the customer's liking.

A woman inside a western store uses a stick to grab a cowboy hat on a wall lined with cowboy hats

Kristen Carelas grabs a hat from the wall.

"From fedora style to cowboy Western, every person is so different," she said. "So we like to give them a huge range."

At Kemo Sabe, customers cannot touch the hats on the wall. Instead, Carelas uses long, thick sticks to grab the hats customers are interested in purchasing.

Once she selected a hat, it was time to steam

A woman steams a hat inside a western store with hate hanging on the wall behind and clouds of steam in front of her

Carelas steams a ranch hat.

Carelas selected a flat-brimmed hat and pulled a steamer out of the cabinet below the counter in the workstation.

She pressed the brim into the mouth of the steamer as clouds of steam surrounded her.

A woman steams a hat inside a western store with hats hanging on the wall behind

Carelas folds the hat's rim into a curled shape.

"This helps open up the fibers so that we can shape it, mold it, and give it a little curl," she said.

Between rounds of steaming each section of the brim, Carelas folded the softened hat into a Western cowboy shape.

Next, she added decorative details

Behind a counter at a western store with a cowboy hat on the left side and an iron and a hot glue gun on the right

The workstation counter at Kemo Sabe.

When styling for a client, Carelas said she asks the customer where they plan to wear the hat before accessorizing.

"It could be for a special occasion like a bridal party. It could be for going to concerts or even just for everyday wear," she said. "That's when we find out what they are looking for out of the hat."

For example, some want a glitzy, bedazzled hat, while others prefer a rustic vibe.

"I wrap tons of different options to show them what possibilities their hat can become," she said.

Adding flair to a hat is all about layering

A woman in a cowboy hat stitches a black hat at a work station inside a western store

Carelas sews a silk band around a hat.

Since she was designing for my tour rather than a customer, Carelas made a hat to her liking. She selected a black, flat-brimmed hat to create an edgy, Taylor Swift-inspired look for attending concerts.

Carelas first stitched a black silk band around the rim.

"I'm trying to get it placed to where I want it to be for my other layers," she said.

Two images of A woman in a cowboy hat accessorizing a black hat at a workstation at western store with cowboy hats on the wall in the background

Carelas layers accessories onto the hat.

Next, she added layers of beads and jewels.

"For a concert, I recommend making a showstopper. We have to add pizazz," Carelas said. "And then, of course, Taylor always adds some sparkle and flair. So we have to add diamonds."

A woman accessorizes a black hat with accessories dangling from racks in the background

Carelas adds the final details to the ranch hat.

Lastly, Carelas added a small meteorite knife and a Porcupine quill for a touch of edginess.

The final step is branding

A workstation with iron branding icons on the right and a cowboy hat on the left

A selection of branding icons for the ranch hats.

Carelas selected another hat and took me to the branding station, where there were dozens of tiny metal symbols, images, and letters to burn onto the hat.

Branding a hat doesn't cost extra, and there's no limit to how much you can add. Carelas said Kemo Sabe is known for its branding — and some people tend to go all out.

"The other day, I had a guy who wanted to brand everything he's hunted," she said.

I watched Carelas brand a hat letter by letter to say "Live a Little."

Two images: Left: A hat lights a metal branding tool in a metal cone. Right: A close-up of a woman branding a cowboy hat with smoke coming from the hat.

Carelas brands a hat with text.

"This is my favorite part because it reminds me of tattooing," she said, adding that she tattoos as a side gig.

She attached the letter to a metal rod and torched it before carefully stamping the hat.

"So you start slow and work your way up," she said. "You have to find that right little sweet spot. It can get nerve-racking, but I find it so peaceful."

Some customers request entire sentences or phrases to be branded onto their hats.

"I did a wedding anniversary hat not too long ago," she said. "The husband wanted to surprise his wife with the first verse of their song."

She said being a part of special moments in people's lives makes her job feel less like work.

"You never know who you get to style, and that makes it so much more enjoyable," she said. "It's never boring."

Two images: Left: A woman in a hat faces a brick wall lined with hats while holding up a black cowboy hat. Right: The same woman in the same environment and pose holding a white cowboy hat

Carelas presents the accessorized hat (L) and the branded hat (R).

When she finished styling and branding the hats, I began to understand why people pay so much for them.

They're built to last a lifetime — and with the range of customizations included in the price, customers leave with a hat you won't spot on anyone else's head.