When explaining how “we” at Record High have gone to great lengths to build a superior hat, I find myself referencing the company in a plural format, unconsciously regarding Record High as an organization of many when this is not quite the reality. With that said, I feel blessed to be surrounded with a group of family, friends and like-minded individuals I’ve met along the way that continue to play a vital part in supporting this and other creative endeavors I’ve found passion in and Record High is no different.
My name is Jash Negandhi and I have no formal fashion degree or any past fashion experience for that matter. Fully immersed in a 20 year career as a multi-platinum worldwide DJ/Producer, I had no intentions of creating a clothing brand. Now I single-handedly From design concepts to quality control, social media to sourcing fabrics, operating expenses to order fulfillment, I shoulder the full responsibility of Record High LLC and maintaining the integrity behind the brand. My mind as an artist is constantly analyzing, observing and finding the need to create. This deep rooted philosophy cultivated through my years as musician organically become the catalyst to developing a snapback company after uncovering many grievances in my growing hat collection.
Before our eyes we’ve witnessed the fashion industry evolve in almost every aspect of apparel. T-shirts to pants, sunglasses to sneakers, streetwear to upscale attire; companies all competing to push the limits on creativity, functionality, comfort in an effort to build upon their brand and customer base.
The headwear apparel industry in my opinion has remained largely antiquated. One of the simplest observations about hats that bothered me...the green under visor!!! Irrespective to main color of the snapback, I had to investigate what was going on. The reality is that hat companies, from small start ups to time tested conglomerates, all know that it is cost effective to purchase pre-made bulk blank hats from companies like Yupoong that come with a tasteless green under visor and the only alteration is to paste their logo on it.
"Just imagine if 70% of the sneakers on the market today came with green shoelaces and we all just accepted it for what it was, never questioning why."
I told myself that I would only launch a snapback company on the premise that I could effectively solve ALL of the problems that I encountered in the hat apparel industry or I wouldn’t proceed to be another brand in line just to follow suit. By meticulously paying attention to every component, corner, color, and curvature, I adopted skills sets that better equipped the journey I would need to move forward. The 16 months researching the components, comparing fabrics, consulting other hat aficionados, I slowly started to shape the a few primary designs while tackling the structural engineering challenges for a new blank hat that would be up to the standards I as a consumer wanted.
I traveled around the world...twice! Staying true to my principles, I ultimately found a manufacturer I thought was capable but wasn't entirely sure. I packed my backs with a dozen samples in hand and arranged to meet my manufacturer when my 13 hour flight touched down.
What was supposed to customarily be a 2 hour factory tour to select basic choices for building a hat, the manufacturer quickly realized my list of uncharted demands was not going to be settled in merely 2 hours. The tour took 3 weeks and I would spend 8 hour days, while factory workers went on with their usual business, I was rummage through a 5 story hat factory full of fabrics, concepts, colors that open my options to what was possible.
The account manager assigned to me in friendly manner said that I was the “the most pickiest client” she had encountered in her years of working there. I took it as a compliment as we both laughed but leaving with a sense of having created a greater appreciation for how hat creation should be treated. The blueprint for my signature snapback was brought to fruition on my very last day of the trip. As I held in my hand the very first approved sample for production, I thought to myself, if I accomplished this in 3 weeks just imagine where things can go.
