Editor’s note: Please see the update at the bottom of this story.
This piece is part of our NASHtoday Q+A series.
In 2014, Travis Austin sat down with a sketchbook, colored pencils, and no background in the fashion industry — he just had his own style and a vision. Through mistakes, triumphs, and forming countless relationships, Travis has turned Travis Austin Customs into the empire it is today (DYK: The flagship store is located right here in Music City).
We sat down with Travis to ask 12 questions about how he got his start, the creative process, and where the business is headed next.
What’s the balance between coming up with your own ideas + listening to the client and other creators you’re working with?
That’s one that’s evolved and changed over the past four or five years. The people who have been following along since the very beginning — they’ve seen that in me. This entire company and brand started by listening and talking to every single person before I made their piece. There are two goals when I make a Travis Austin Custom: First thing, I want this to be the coolest thing in your closet; I want this to be the coolest thing you own; You want to grab this each and every day.
My number two goal is I want this to be generational. I want you to pass this down. I want your kids to want to wear it and tell your stories to these pieces. So, when I’m listening to these people, I’m trying everything I can to pull every story out of them. I take those stories and represent them in a really cool, abstract, artistic way. Learning those techniques and how to turn the state of Florida into a cool design element, takes a long time. Those are the things that have gradually come over the years.
Can you name three Nashville venues that a Travis Austin Custom would fit perfectly as your outfit of choice?
Not because you might fit in the best, but because I am just always going to send you here first: Robert’s Western World is my single favorite place in Nashville. You can get a fried bologna sandwich and a moon pie here for $6 — I mean, c’mon. Then, Mother’s Ruin in Germantown because I think our vintage or leather feel fits in really well with the ground floor bar. Plus, it’s one of my favorite places in the city. The Supper Club, the upstairs restaurant here at Fifth and Broadway, is kind of my home away from home. It’s one of the few places in the city where you can sit back, close your eyes, and feel like you’re in an old jazz bar — sitting in a plush velvet chair enjoying a cocktail and some amazing jazz music.
What does the creative process look like when designing a Travis Austin Custom?
That’s a very hard question to answer. I am incredibly blessed to have a completely different creative process depending on the client + that project. I am lucky enough to be surrounded by a really amazing team. So, depending on who I am creating with that day — whether it be my in-store creative team or the corporate creative team — there are different environments and different characters I am working with. As long as I’m in a space surrounded by great people, usually with a funny movie or Entourage playing in the background, I’m able to create. It’s not the most exciting answer, but it changes each and every day.
Can you describe the custom hat making process from start to finish?
We size you first and foremost. We want a hat that fits properly, and a shape that fits your profile. Then, we’re going to sit down and get to know each other. When it was just one on one and me with everyone else, it usually took about 45 minutes. We have a very general conversation. I get to know you as a person and as a friend. I want to know where you’re from, things that are important to you, the chips on your shoulder, the things you like to represent and carry with you for your life, and your stories.
I take all those things, then I go to work and use all those tips, tricks, and techniques to create something special for you. People see these hats and jackets and think, ‘oh it must be the most expansive process.’ It’s really not. I try to treat everything as simple and efficiently as possible.
What sets Travis Austin Customs apart from other custom fashion companies?
We are going to put a lot of effort and ethos into our relationship with you. I don’t care about selling you a hat or jacket. I don’t care if I sell 10 customs today or 100 customs today. I want to give you something that means something to you — that experience.
It shouldn’t just be a $500-$700 experience, but a generational experience. One that your kids are going to get to feel one day, or one that you’re going to take this memory and talk to everybody about it. That’s truly all we care about. If we only sold one custom a day, but we provided that experience to every single person, I would be as happy as I am now.
Can you give me any details on collaboration projects you have in the works?
Just a couple of weeks ago, we dropped off to the Nashville Predators vs. Tampa Bay Lightning for the Stadium Series game. They walked off the bus, onto the red carpet, and into the game with some familiar jackets + hats. We are very lucky and humbled to be a part of that franchise. Further down the road, we look forward to becoming a larger part of this city and expanding our reach to others.
If you were to design a hat that encompasses Music City, what would it look like?
I’m pretty sure there are a couple on Instagram that do just that. If you tell me you want a hat of Nashville, I’m not going to go and engrave Tootsie’s, the skyline, and the Batman building on the hat. We like to do stuff at a 45-degree angle. You’re going to think about it maybe five minutes later, but then you’re going to know what that design element meant. It’s as abstract and as hidden as possible. I would look for a lot of back end details that you might expect off the rip — but I can’t give away my secrets.
Do you have favorite design elements you like to try to incorporate into each piece?
There are a couple designers in this industry that definitely have a mark that is theirs. I don’t make every hat anymore. So, this has become more and more important to me as we’ve grown. When I am here and getting to make the hats, having this benchmark to my operations, means even more now.
I come from a very humble background, and I didn’t really have a whole lot. I like to pride my company, and myself, in really understanding the value of $1. We’ve done everything we can to keep our pricing structure accessible to all, so on every single hat that Travis Austin makes to this day, you’ll see a little piece of a $1 bill. If you see a hat out in the wild that has a piece of $1 bill on it, look around the brim, and it probably has the Travis Austin signature underneath.
In general, what makes your story unique when it comes to founding this company and building it into what it is today?
Four years ago, I opened my first showroom above a quinceañera shop in a Hispanic auto insurance office. It was a seven-floor walk up, and no one knew where the heck it was. I had just moved to South Dallas, where we built our first showroom, second showroom, and our third showroom from Goodwill and Home Depot for maybe a combined $3,000. I’ve been ridiculed, evicted, and knocked out. We’ve gone through a tornado, then a bombing, and then got shut down by COVID-19 all in the past three years.
Today, we’re sitting in the Travis Austin flagship showroom. I’m incredibly passionate + emotional about passing my story on to other fellow entrepreneurs. This has truly been a boxer mentality. You’re going to get hit and knocked down. We’ve gotten back up every single time, and now we’re here. Soon, we’ll be in many others.
What makes Fifth and Broadway the perfect place for you to connect with your Nashville clients?
Everything. You hear that location is everything, especially as a business owner, but you can’t really fully understand that until you land in a place that is a community that completely welcomes each one of its neighbors; us. To see the different walks of life, the locals, the people who appreciate this city coming into it every day, and the fans — it’s insane. Thousands of people walk past the store every single day. We’re thankful for each and every one of them. This development has really changed my life and the life of all my employees — and for that, we’re eternally grateful.
Can you walk through the hat bar experience, logistically, step-by-step?
We have our hat bar menu with three different shapes right now in three different colors. You’re going to meet with our concierge team and become friends with them. They’re going to size you + put you in the right shape. Then, they’re going to take you down the bar. From the stars to silk, flannels, and denim — you get to be a part of the distress level, the fabrics, the chains, the flowers, and the parts — every piece of the hat. During this entire process, our team is getting to know you. So, when it comes to the personal details, the engravings and all of that, they’re going to do those things live and right in front of you.
What are your plans for growth?
I won’t give you timelines, but I can give you cities. New York, Paris, and Miami. Johannesburg, South Africa, Los Angeles, and Chicago.
After posting this Q+A across our platforms, we received a flow of significant allegations directed at Travis Austin and his brand from a large number of readers. The primary accusations were as follows:
- Travis Austin Customs’ artwork is stolen and ripped off from other artists
- Promised charitable donations on behalf of Travis Austin Customs have never made it to the organizations in which they were promised — namely the Red Dirt Relief Fund and Mile 0 Festival
- Purchases from Travis Austin Customs have arrived to customers much later than promised and in poor condition. One individual indicating an attorney was hired to get an unfinished hat back from Travis Austin Customs
NASHtoday takes immense pride in highlighting the best people, places, and things Nashville has to offer, and we take reader feedback very seriously. We asked Travis Austin to speak to the allegations above, and below, you will find a portion of his responses.
- “I have never stolen artwork from anybody. I’ve never ripped off artwork. If there was a specific allegation, I would love to speak to that. I am a mixed-media artist. I take iconic imagery from icons, outlaws, rock stars, country music stars, use that imagery we grew up on to create mixed-media pieces. I’m an artist first and foremost. What I am doing differently is the combination of media. I honestly don’t see anything different with how we’ve adapted our own style than any other artist. That is what art is — using what came before you to build, adapt, change, and grow.”
- “In 2019, I was a vendor artist part of the Mile 0 Festival. I was asked to donate a piece to an auction that benefitted The Red Dirt Relief Fund. I’ve done this hundreds of times throughout my career. This particular experience, a rockstar experience that included a leather jacket, was what was auctioned off. It was left to myself and the purchaser to come together and set up the consult to make the project happen. I can’t tell you how many times I’ve tried to organize the consult with the individual’s daughter, who I don’t believe lived in the same household. One hundred times out of 100, I will give every ounce of effort within my ability to make this a perfect experience. After so much time goes by and so many attempts to make something happen with somebody, life moves. I will bend over backwards to make everything promised happen for this individual.”
- “First of all, I have never been contacted by any client’s or customer’s legal counsel. When we ship hats, we ship via USPS and attach fragile stickers to the outside of our packaging. Sometimes, things do get rattled around. Each and every time we have been contacted any time something like that has happened, I’ve taken 100% of the costs and either remake the hat, or reaffix the items. I have also been unbelievably transparent of the nature of our company. We are a small company that grew very fast. We’re cash in, cash out. I have offered credits. I have offered free hats. I have refunded anybody that has asked. I didn’t start this company to take orders and then delay things. That’s also why I spent the last year and half building our retail flagship at Fifth + Broadway — to solve that very problem. I have had one person to answer emails. We have diligently attempted to respond to every customer concern. Two or three people are handling communication with 70-200 people on a weekly basis.”
