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John B. Stetson, the hatmaker credited with inventing the modern cowboy hat, never expected that the Western clothing empire that bears his name, founded in 1865, would eventually be admired by a global superstar like Beyoncé.
The unlikely relationship between a western wear brand and a pop icon began at the 2024 Grammy Awards on February 4, when Beyoncé stepped out in a custom Louis Vuitton look, nodding to a coming country era with a white Stetson cowboy hat. Even the brand was surprised when the singer wore a hat from her personal collection.
Without wasting time, Stetson jumped on the Beyoncé bandwagon. “When Beyoncé decided to reconnect with her Texas roots and embrace Western style, she came up with the true article — Stetson,” Tyler Thoreson, Stetson's vice president of marketing, told WWD. “We've been working with her and her hairdresser on custom hats ever since, some of which she wears in public, others that have yet to make their debut,” he added.
From left: Beyoncé and Jay-Z at the 66th Grammy Awards on February 4 in Los Angeles.
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At Super Bowl LVIII on February 11, Beyoncé continued her country style streak with a surprise for her fans. The singer announced the release of “Renaissance: Act II” and dropped two country songs during the sporting event's commercial break. On the cover of one of the new singles, “Texas Hold 'em,” she is seen wearing a black Stetson hat.
Three days later, Beyoncé posted another Western look on her Instagram account to celebrate Valentine's Day — and her outfit was accessorized with another hat from the brand.
The era of Beyoncé's music helped bring a new audience to Stetson. “We've seen a huge spike in interest in Shasta, the style she wore to the Grammys, and the response across the social media landscape has been absolutely amazing,” Thoreson said.
Stetson, like many other western wear brands, was navigating the seminal cowboy era in fashion and popular culture. “The current Western trend of rediscovering the great outdoors has already begun during the pandemic, and has been amplified by the huge success of Yellowstone. “Since then, we've had constant trouble keeping up with demand, but Beyoncé took things to a whole new level,” Thoreson said.
On Pinterest, searches for “cowgirl aesthetics” have increased 181 percent in the past 12 months, while “western outfit ideas” are up 166 percent, and “country witch outfits” are up more than 200 percent in the same period.
Although the cowboy essence has always been a part of American fashion, the trend has seen a resurgence on fashion runways in the past couple of years thanks to brands like Diesel, Balmain, and Calvin Klein. In January, men's creative director Pharrell Williams presented his fall 2024 collection for Louis Vuitton, inspired by the original cowboys of the American West.
For Stetson, a brand whose history is inseparable from the evolution of Western style, the cowboy essence is seen as more than just a trend with an expiration date.
“The values that motivate us—commitment to American quality and timeless style—go beyond the trend of the moment, and while it's always good for the pendulum to swing toward a Western aesthetic, it doesn't change the way we do things. However, if the trend is “Basic Cowboys gives us the opportunity to tell our amazing story to a wider audience, and we're all for it.”
