You either surf or fight!

I recently rediscovered my Lt. Colonel Kilgore inspired hat from the back of my closet. Yes, hat design inspired by the surf- and napalm-loving officer in Apocalypse Now, played by Robert Duvall.

Regardless of Covid-19, the hat seems to be a real attention grabber in a time when people hardly look you in the eye. Just this morning a fellow 6 ft apart shopper at Whole Foods was struck by the sheer awesomeness of this hat. What made me particularly jubilant was that it’s a hat of my own design, and it managed to make a connection in a time of disconnection.

Many ask about the story behind the headpiece, so here’s the short and sweet of how this cavalry cap came to be:

The bearer of the diamond shaped logo is Pulp Agency, a Helsinki based brand engagement company that specializes in what they call ‘the generation now’. You know, those generation XYZ early adopters who will turn against you if you’re lame or fake.

When this hat was made, Pulp was also one of the leading sports management companies for action sports athletes in Northern Europe. It was the number one command post to match your brand with a street-cred-clad athlete, or to hookup your mad snowboarding skills with a sweet sponsorship deal.

I worked with Pulp on countless projects, helping brands like Samsung and HBO to form meaningful relationships with people coming of (consumerism) age, and friending athletes with brands in intriguing ways. Designing a collection of hats was a fun side project, part of Pulp’s own branding efforts towards ultimate credibility on streets, slopes and where ever you can’t fake it.

In Coppola’s movie, Lt. Colonel Kilgore was a man who seemed to love what he does a little bit too much, so much so that he comes off as a little nuts. Sounds like many athletes I know. They all love the smell of what ever they do in the morning. That’s what makes them so good. Kilgore also said that “you either surf or fight!”. We did the fighting so the pros could surf, and that’s what this hat was all about.