For Los Angeles

What's happening in Los Angeles right now is heartbreaking. I hope everyone in the city and the surrounding areas is safe.

In December, I was planning on going out to Los Angeles to film Cody Wellema, a legendary hat maker who runs Wellema Hat Co., a custom hat maker out in Altadena. Unfortunately, the timing didn't work out, and I moved my trip to 2025.

Last night on Instagram, I saw the below image of their store on the Wellema Hat Co account and the subsequent caption.

This was never a business. This was our home.

It’s impossible to place words for this loss. My heart has never been so heavy. This space was a literal extension of myself, my home & my family.
I started in hats when I was 20 years old. I was laying down the wood floor with my best bud in my second shop here, on my 24th birthday.

For over a decade I’ve researched, sourced & collected tools and equipment, most 100 years old, to make the best hat I could with two hands.
I never made much money doing this, but we sure did have a rich life. I supported 6 people solely on what came out of this shop. I will always be proud of that. Having my kids grow up in a store with our name on it will forever be my definition of success.

Never a business, never a store. Simply a space that’s walls & hats reflected my families travels, music we listened to, art we consumed & people we met along the road. A dedication to a craft, a trade that has been dying in America.

Thank you to everyone who reach out to us today - please understand our lack of response. If I’m honest, I truly do not know what comes next.

Altadena, we love you. Our little mountain family, big hugs.
♥️

—

I’m devastated for him and his family.

There are many causes and resources to support those affected, and I encourage you to do so if you can. In the spirit of this newsletter, where we love and advocate artisans and people doing wonderful things in the clothing world, I wanted to highlight Wellema Hat Co. and the unspeakable tragedy that happened to Cody, his family, and his business.

One of their friends put together a GoFundMe, which I to donated this morning. I wanted to highlight it here in case any readers felt they also wanted to contribute.