Imitators beware: KC’s viral, must-have hat flips the script on hometown pride that can’t be duped

It’s the favorite hat of influencers and athletes alike; Meet the KC native under the brim

One of the most in-demand hats in Kansas City — spotted on KC athletes like Patrick Mahomes and Bobby Witt Jr. and an array of popular influencers — is driven by a hometown pride that transcends location, said Taylor Webb.

Plus a little bit of homesickness … though not for much longer.

Taylor Webb, CityBrimCo.; photo courtesy of CityBrimCo.

“I moved down to Dallas about three years ago and it was at that point where I really, really started to miss Kansas City,” said Webb, the founder and creative force behind CityBrimCo. and the brand’s eye-catching upside down Kansas City script hats.

“That’s when I got the idea that I want to create something for the city,” explained the Gardner-Edgerton High School graduate. “I want to do something for Kansas City, for my family, for all my friends back home, and more importantly, the city itself.”

Webb’s pride for Kansas City didn’t diminish when he relocated, he said: a value that clearly translates across CityBrimCo.’s rapidly growing fanbase.

“I love wearing Kansas City anywhere I go because it’s where I grew up,” Webb said. “It’s a place that built me, and it’s a place that really shaped who I am as an individual today.”

He’ll soon return to Kansas City full time — drawn back by the project and the opportunities it presents, he said. CityBrimCo. is expected to be fully headquarted in KC by the end of the year.

The signature design for his brand’s products reflects both Webb’s longterm vision for CityBrimCo. and his commitment to versatility and premium craftsmanship. A self-declared hat guy, Webb knew he wanted to create a hat he would love to wear himself, he noted. But he also wanted to design a product that stands out as much as the city.

“It kept coming back to me that Kansas City is such an original place,” Webb said. “And for me, I was really trying to capture that in the design. So we’re taking a very simple design and wording, for that matter — the words ‘Kansas City’ — and flipping them upside down to be original and to be unique.”

“Kansas City is unique,” he added. “Part of me thinks that unless you’re from Kansas City, you don’t necessarily understand that.”

Click here to check out in-stock colorways from CityBrimCo.

Photo courtesy of CityBrimCo.

Heading to the big leagues

The brand — launched in November 2023 — really took off when the Chiefs quarterback wore CityBrimCo.’s black hat as the team arrived in Las Vegas for the Super Bowl in February.

Bobby Witt Jr. sporting a CityBrimCo. cap at Kauffman Stadium

Patrick Mahomes wearing a CityBrimCo. cap on his way to the Super Bowl

“That’s when it went somewhat viral in Kansas City, when it really started to pick up some traction,” Webb said.

But Mahomes wasn’t the first Kansas City athlete to be spotted in the CityBrimCo. hat, he noted. Witt Jr. — the Royals’ standout shortstop and MVP contender — and Chiefs players Creed Humphrey and Trey Smith started the trend. 

“It was just a mixture of all those events happening that I believe have really put us on the map a little bit, and has allowed us to have quite a bit of success,” Webb said.

“We’ve just been beyond blessed by the good Lord above to have the reception that we have from the city and to have the athletes and the other individuals with influence from Kansas City wearing our hats,” he continued. “It’s just been a God thing from the start. That’s the only way it’s possible.”

The challenge of keeping up with demand, Webb said, initially caught the CityBrimCo. team off guard, but they’ve learned to adapt. The brand just released new colorways in its standard snapback and trucker styles for the Chiefs season, plus a teal and red version for fans of the KC Current.

“We’ve really started to uptick our processes from a manufacturing standpoint all the way up to the order fulfillment standpoint and being able to offer what we hope is the best customer service possible,” Webb explained.

“Since our launch, we have seen a few others try to mimic and create something similar to our hat, which makes us proud to be the first and original upside down Kansas City hat,” he added.

While hats are the focus now, Webb noted that other apparel items are on the horizon, as well as other hat styles like a dad cap or performance style hat.

Photo courtesy of CityBrimCo.

Trailblazing start

From an early age, Webb shared, he had an entrepreneurial spirit, always trying to make a little extra cash by mowing lawns and raking leaves.

“My dad always said, ‘Son, you’re good at sales; you’re good at talking to people; you’re good at generating ideas about starting businesses,’” he recalled. “So that kind of stuck with me as a little kid.”

After graduating from high school in 2015, he studied accounting at Johnson County Community College for two years and then graduated from Kansas State University in 2019 with a degree in finance.

“In terms of what I was studying, I really didn’t have a call or a passion as to what I wanted to do for a career,” Webb explained. “So I figured, ‘Well, accounting and finance, those are pretty good majors. Let me just study something like that.’”

That put him at a crossroads after college.

Photo courtesy of CityBrimCo.

A friend was pursuing an online business, so Webb decided to launch his own, selling pet products.

“It was at that moment where I thought — if I was going to do something in terms of my own business — ‘Let’s go for it now,’” he recalled. “‘I really have nothing to lose. I don’t have a family or anything like that who I’m going to put in jeopardy.’”

About six months in — and just as the business was gaining momentum — the pandemic hit, shutting down its supply chain and logistics channels, Webb noted. He closed the business and took a job at YRC Freight.

“I kind of had a sour taste in my mouth from the economy and just from the things that were out of my control,” he added.

Webb’s move to Dallas ultimately offered the switch-up he needed to launch CityBrimCo. — but his return this year will keep the brand’s story moving forward.

“There’s not another city like Kansas City and we wanted to have a hat and a product that represented that feeling,” he added.