Love story continues: Fans spot Taylor Swift in boyfriend’s New Heights cap; KC hat maker sees green
April 19, 2024 | Nikki Overfelt Chifalu
It’s been more than a fortnight since the Chiefs’ headline-grabbing, pop-culture-infused Super Bowl run, but the Taylor Swift effect remains strong for the tortured poets and creators at one Kansas City company.
A machine at Sandlot Goods embroiders a New Heights podcast dad hat at Sandlot’s Southwest Boulevard headquarters; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
Sandlot Goods — Kansas City’s only local hat manufacturer — is reaping the benefits of Swift’s recent appearance at the Coachella music festival, where the iconic singer sported a green dad hat from The New Heights podcast helmed by her boyfriend, Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce.
In an exclusive partnership that launched this winter, Sandlot crafts the hats for Travis and Jason Kelce’s podcast for Homage — an Ohio-based sports and pop culture apparel company. Now the hometown maker is tasked with helping to fulfill the thousands of orders — from Swifties and 92%-ers alike — for the green version of the hat that poured in since Swift was photographed in the piece, which is believed to have been a one-of-a-kind prototype. A presale hit the Homage site Monday.
RELATED: Jason Kelce says New Heights cap Taylor Swift wore to Coachella ‘sold out real quick’
“I wish I could say that Taylor Swift has worn a Sandlot hat,” explained Garret Prather, the vice president of strategic partnerships for Sandlot, one of Startland News’ Startups to Watch in 2023. “The green one was never moved to a retail offering. But then she wore it — I believe it’s the same one that Travis wore for filming the podcast the week before — and here we are.”
“The demand that hit Homage’s website was just kind of bananas,” he added. “Within the first hour, there were already thousands sold.”
Look what you made me do
Swift dropped her latest album at midnight Friday, capping months of anticipation by energized fans — many of whom watched social media and the singer’s public appearances for Easter eggs related to the release and speculated how much — if any — inspiration from her relationship with Kelce would find its way into the tracks. (A second, surprise album was released by the singer at 2 a.m.)
Chiefs tight end Travis Kelce and popstar Taylor Swift embrace after the Chiefs’ AFC Championship victory over the Baltimore Ravens; photo courtesy of the Kansas City Chiefs
That ongoing interest helped fuel demand for all things Taylor and her “tattooed golden retriever” between their high-profile Super Bowl kiss and Fridays’ listening parties.
And businesses like Sandlot win, Prather observed.
Once the pop star wore the hat Saturday, he noted, the phone calls between Homage and Sandlot — as well as Homage and Wave Sports + Entertainment, the podcast’s production company — started Sunday. Sandlot was still waiting on the green fabric to arrive Thursday, though the team had already started cranking out the branded dad hats in black.
“It’s just been non stop here,” Prather continued. “One of my son’s birthdays was on Monday — shout out to Graham — so my wife and I took him out to breakfast and had something that was fun for him and then everything else has just been hats on hats. It’s been a long week, but it’s been an exciting week.
“I’d rather have the good business problems than the bad business problems,” he added, noting the green New Heights hat will eventually be available in Sandlot’s retail location in Leawood once all the online orders are filled.
It’s been amazing to see first-hand the economic impact that Swift can have, Prather said.
“It’s just hard for me to digest that one person can move the needle by wearing one hat,” he explained. “But it just reinforces what we’ve seen locally — the economic impact of her on her tour last year to the impact of her dating Travis and all the inspiration that came from that on the retail side of things — but it’s not just unique to us. She literally changes the economy where she goes globally, not just domestically.”
It’s been fun, he continued, to play a small part in one of the biggest love stories of the past year.
“I always say with Travis and Taylor, I really appreciate it because they seem like a genuine couple,” he added. “It’s a positive story, and in today’s world, that seems fewer and far between.”
Workers at Sandlot Goods’ Southwest Boulevard headquarters stock inventory; photo by Nikki Overfelt Chifalu, Startland News
New fit on Southwest Boulevard
Luckily for Sandlot, Prather shared, the team will be better able to handle the onslaught of hat orders in its new, bigger headquarters — on Southwest Boulevard, next to Schutte Lumber. The company moved into the space at the end of January, right after the AFC Championship game.
Garret Prather, Sandlot Goods
“We planned for February; thought that’d be a little quieter time of the year,” he continued. “But Patrick Mahomes and Travis Kelce and the team had different ideas. So the moving truck came just hours after the Chiefs beat the Ravens. We got everything loaded over a four- or five-day time period. But we had the production team going within 24 hours just understanding that we needed to keep things moving.”
The new space — in which Made In KC also shares a small portion — is double the size of Sandlot’s old headquarters.
“We were really cramped,” he explained. “So it gives us more room to breathe and be able to scale. It just feels like more of a factory setting, which is important. It’s important for us to have that next step. I see a difference when I bring potential clients in and they can see how tangible this really is, so that really reinforces that with this space.”
It’s also appealing to be on Southwest Boulevard, Prather noted.
“You’re right by the Roasterie,” he added. “Boulevard Brewery is right over there. Having ‘these hats are built on the Boulevard’ mindset is a cool thing.’”
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