It all started as a pandemic hobby.

Local Jared Mathieson acquired some hat-making supplies from a friend when COVID-19 shut down the world. He finished his first hat in July of 2020 and just like that, LP Hats was born. 

Mathieson describes it as 'just a hobby,' but the hats recently made an appearance on The Tonight Show Starring Jimmy Fallon, when country singer Carly Pearce's bandmates wore the Moose Jaw-made hats on stage. "It was early December and her drummer reached out to me about playing the show, and they coordinated all of their outfits, so I had a month to send the drummer a hat," explained Mathieson. He says it was neat to be a tiny part of the performance and see behind the scenes. 

Mathieson designs and creates most of the hats on his own but gets some help from his mom with fancy stitching. He also says getting his hands on the material needed can be difficult. "They're made out of beaver or a beaver blend, and those come from Winchester, Tennesee." He spends anywhere from five hours to 10 hours on each hat.

You can check out the brand on Instagram @lp_hats.