I was contacted in May to make a custom Kreative Kranium Western-style, Beaver-felt hat. My customer gave me “creative license”and said he just wanted a “little distressing.” I created the “Carter OG” and shipped it off, without thinking anything of it until I was contacted by @ibbynjoya asking if I could make him the same hat that I had made for @beyonce . I was told that my hat was purchased by @parkwood Entertainment (Beyoncè’s) company by her assistant @miichaelhandler for a photo shoot at Ibby’s studio @njoyastudios . Ibby even sent me a cool pic of him wearing my hat with a yellow jacket. He told me the photo shoot would go live in the fall. After all these months, the photo shoot has gone LIVE! My “Carter OG” hat is on the cover of October’s GQ with Beyoncé. My hat is also featured in the article. I am so excited and grateful for this opportunity. Crazy!
I’m happy that they could see value & creativity in my design.
Good memories…
Sometimes the trail finds you before you even know you’re riding it.
Out of nowhere, I was contacted by Beyoncé’s personal manager, Michael Handler. He wanted a tan western cowboy hat and handed me full creative latitude — the kind of trust that either makes a maker freeze… or dig deeper into their craft.
So I built Carter.
A 4 inch “hoof print” crown with a 4 1/2 inch brim carrying a gentle upward turn — shaped with intention, grit, and restraint. I kept the hatband simple because the felt spoke loud enough on its own. Brown denim. Brown leather. Jute twisted in like old ranch rope weathered by hard country.
Then came the soul of the piece.
A turkey feather paired beside an elk tooth gifted to me by my daughter-in-law from an elk she harvested in Northern Arizona to feed her family. Real life. Real story. Real bloodline tied into the build.
Later, a man named Ibby Njoya contacted me asking for a hat just like the one I made for Beyoncé. Naturally, I thought the desert heat had finally cooked his brain.
Turns out, he owned the studio where Beyoncé had done a photo shoot wearing my hat. He asked me to build one for him too — this time I used a beaver tooth in the design to make it his own outlaw relic.
He couldn’t tell me who the shoot was for. Couldn’t tell me what was coming. Just said:
“Keep your eyes open around September or October 2024.”
Then October hit.
And there it was.
My hat staring back at me from the cover of GQ like some dust-born fever dream turned real.
From the backroads of Kreative Kranium to the cover of GQ.
Proof that when you build with soul instead of trends, the world eventually notices.
We are still buzzing from this week!!! What a successful Met Gala 🤍💫 We are forever grateful for the stylists that we collaborated with and trusted our vision to bring every look to life
Major thank you to @yusefhairnyc@sarahslutsky@claytonhawkins@handler.official@marc_eram
Justin Bieber Hallelujah 🙌
Words can’t fully capture what this past year has meant to me or the incredible experiences this family has given me. I’m truly in awe of this team - the love, support, and energy you pour into each other is so inspiring. You are some of the hardest working people I know, and the way you show up to lift us up is incredibly special.
A HUGE thank you to Anna and Lauren, who quite literally carried this project on their backs. You’ve supported me, believed in me, and cheered me on every step of the way, especially these last four weeks. I love you both so much, and I’m beyond grateful for you 🤍
Belieber for life 🖤🖤🖤
JB WEEKEND 1
Jacket @skylrk
Shirt @skylrk
Shorts @luudan_official
Shoes @loewe
JB WEEKEND 2
Vest @gregross
Shorts @skylrk
Shoes @loewe
Jewelry @nickhorey via @yayapublicity
18 hours in LA to see our sweet collaborators Meg & Will and chat about Too Much with friend, mentor, and total girls’ girl @juddapatow . If you haven’t watched on @netflix , it’s the perfect season for a show where @ritaora plays Santa. If you have, thank you so much 🥹 We are very grateful.
I’ve officially reached the age where, in a film about youth and coming to terms with your own truth, I play… the kooky art teacher. And frankly, it’s the role I’ve been preparing for my entire life. Thank you to my forever girl @tommy.dorfman for seeing the ceramics and paper mache loving woman in a satin caftan inside of me. And congratulations to the entire cast and crew on this tender, poignant and funny film.
It’s never been more important to support independent film, queer stories and trans voices and to show up with our hearts and our dollars, and this is a special one, so please get yourself to the theater for a little laugh and cry. @iwyatbmovie
