Taylor Box does a spin on the luxury hat box for contemporary brand Mint Tradition.
A mile above sea-level, Mint Tradition is pushing the baseball cap to new heights. Two entrepreneurs, Geoff Muller and Jack Elway, are creating high-fashion headwear for the modern market. Their Denver-based operation offers a selection of boutique quality caps for the discerning palate- a skillful blend of streetwear and haut couture.
For the co-founders, the craft of creating is the driving force of their business. There’s more behind the process of hat making than stitches and sewing machines. Mint Tradition specializes in leatherwork, and a number of particular techniques and processes go into the production of each handmade hat. Nobody is forcing them to source finest European leather and manufacture entirely in the US. It would be cheaper somewhere else. They don’t have to treat and fit their leather in house. They could use a more cooperative material. But when your motto is “Respect your Craft”, you have an obligation to do things the best way possible.
Taylor Box feels the same when it comes to packaging.
Brimming with possibilities
For a client like Mint Tradition, the thrill is creating a box that embodies an ethos. Everything about this design screams distinguished and professional, inside and out. A baseball cap might not be something you associate with the finer things, but a little custom packaging might convince you otherwise.
The box for Mint Tradition’s line of premium hats is packed with features in its sleek design. The closed luxury hat box hints at lustrous contents, but the opened package is sure to drop jaws with its contained collateral.
Finest quality leather is the cornerstone of Mint Tradition’s work and this luxury hat box was engineered to match that aesthetic. From a distance, the exterior appears to be flat black. But upon closer inspection, the wrap has a distinct consistency achieved by using Black Skivertex, textured to simulate a true leather feel.
Coupled with textured black cover material, gold foil stamping adds a sense of luxury and lavishness to the design. An exposed neck tray in gold foil adds a degree of artistry. When the box is closed, a thin band of gold around the perimeter interrupts the coat of black and teases at the gilded contents.
What’s your angle?
The interior is no less impressive. An angled neck tray provokes maximum visual impact. This box is, after all, as much a way of displaying Mint Tradition’s work as it is protecting it. And if you owned one of these hats, you’d probably be inclined to show it off.
An angled neck tray is great for presentation, but it complicates matters when it comes to designing a luxury hat box that closes securely. To compensate, a hidden tray was added to the lid to ensure a snug fit and a tight seal.
Inside the box is a pocket with a certificate of authenticity, and inscribed there on the interior of the lid, the Mint Tradition motto, “Respect Your Craft”. The whole piece comes together as stylish and fashionable as the product within. It’s the sort of collaboration with our clients that we strive for.
It’s not often that you see a baseball hat in premium custom packaging, but somehow, it feels right. As snapbacks and dad hats invade our fashion consciousness, it only seems appropriate that caps get the same treatment as thousand-dollar sneakers and gem-studded timepieces. Your Red Sox hat might not be the most appropriate choice for your big date, but changing tastes and emerging styles like those at Mint Tradition could make the deluxe baseball cap as dignified as a jacket and tie.
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