“Y’know when a dog tastes blood for the first time and you’re like, ‘Welp, Fido is obsessed with catching squirrels now’?” Kendall Word recalls picking up a Stetson from a vintage shop in Austin: she comes from a long line of Stetson-wearers, but there’s nothing quite like your first time. The Queen of Commerce is a title that begs a certain amount of grit and grace – and Kendall would know: she’s writing the rulebook.

* Commerce Goods + Supply is located at the stunning Adolphus Hotel in Dallas, Texas. Visit their website here.

Creative direction by refueledmagazine

Photography by stevenvisneauphotography

Editorial by libbyfromtx

Model gucciandgoodwill

RC: You’d be hard-pressed to live in the South and not be familiar with Stetson, but would you say it’s been ingrained in your heritage? Or are you the Stetson pioneer in your family?

KW: I’m a 7th-generation Texan, so you had better believe I knew about Stetson! Stetson has been woven into the fabric of my family for generations. As a kid, I would always see hat stands at my uncle’s ranch in South Texas full of Stetson cowboy hats: straw, felt, etc.  

My great-grandfather was a rancher who always wore khaki pants and a white button-down with his Stetson. There’s one video of him carrying it around while he counted his cows in 1937. My other favorite familial Stetson sighting is this video of my grandfather, McGehee, in college laughing and taking his Stetson fedora off and putting it on again for the camera.

RC: Reflecting on the quote, “Stetson today embodies the resourceful, authentic, and diverse American Spirit…ever-revolving and timeless,” how do those core values resonate with your own?

KW:  I feel like this is one of those moments when you meet someone new and they’re describing themselves… leaving you hastily trying to reiterate how ardently you resonate with them without sounding like an absolute copycat!

I count myself very lucky to have been raised by parents who exemplified these principles very well. My dad is an absolute legend in my mind. His default is enterprising and his heart holds strong in the face of defeat. My mother is timeless in the sense that she is perennial, like an evergreen. She’s unending in her fruitfulness and love.

I hope all of these things for myself and revel in the values listed above. They’re strong, unencumbered, and have a sense of beautiful grittiness to them. Should Stetson be that “someone new” I resonate with, I would add that I am bold in my benevolence.

RC: So, from where does Kendall Word draw her inspiration?

KW:  As a kid, I’d spend hours in my room ripping out my favorite pages from different magazines and compiling them into my own magazine. Structure, movement, and drama were components I was visually drawn to and enjoyed nothing more than…emulating that in my day to day life. Everything ignited an idea or a longing in me and I wanted to be a part of something beautiful. Style is that for me – engaging in something beautiful and expressive. Getting dressed, for me, is usually a merging of mood and experimenting with shape.

RC: What would a perfect day in the world of the Queen of Commerce look like?

KW:  I’m at the shop, aka my second home, [and] it’s filled with my staff and I greeting guests with big smiles and Topo Chico. Visiting with the menagerie of people that come — locals or guests — is high on my list of favorite things, as well as working with local partnerships, like Stetson, on special projects for Commerce.

A perfect day includes interactions of all sorts: learning from our shop curator, Christine Visneau, eating at City Hall Bistro, and getting to pet at least 3 dogs. If you can’t find me doing any of those things, it’s because I’ve run off to a nearby coffee shop to answer emails.

RC: Leave us with some ever-important parting words of advice: what is crucial in picking the perfect hat?

KW:  Picking a Stetson is picking an extension of you! Mine has almost become a calling card; I’ve had people not recognize me when I go without it. 

I take three things into consideration when picking a Stetson:

Proportion: I go for wide-brimmed hats because I have a square face, I’m quite tall, and my hair is longer than my attention span.

Fit & Frame your Face: Fundamentally, it’s good to know your head shape. I’m a long oval. There’s nothing worse than picking the wrong size and paying for it in forehead marks and aspirin. When in doubt, size up and employ Stetson’s foam pads to apply to the liner of your hat for the perfect fit.

Style: I’m constantly experimenting with my style; I will wear a ballgown and a boiler suit in the same week, but I’m also very picky. If an item doesn’t resonate with me, you couldn’t pay me to wear it. At the end of the day, go with your gut.

Meet The Clarksons of Grove Ladder Farms.

Photography by Corey Woosley. Written by Taylore Harris.

Entering the 10 acres, Freddy and Bianca come bounding towards the truck attempting to determine the threat that is trying to greet their family. These two Great Pyrenees act as protectors of the Clarkson’s three daughters and the chickens which have numerous predators in the open fields in East Sarasota, Florida. Rounding the final corner where the oaks hang low with loads of Spanish moss, a driveway to Grove Ladder Farms illuminates the farmers already hard at work. Before the sun has peeked through the stacks of clouds, Tim Clarkson is in his Ford making the rounds loaded with feed for the chickens. Even in the early morning haze, the fields are coming alive as the chickens which are separated into multiple pens are anxious to begin their feeding frenzy. It appears to be organized chaos as Tim is swarmed while he distributes the feed and the chickens flutter about. One pen is a soy free flock for egg-buying customers with dietary restrictions. Making his rounds to the chicks and “pre-teen” enclosures where the younger birds are housed, the morning poultry feeding comes to a close. Remnants of the non-GMO grain that the chickens are fed leave small chunks on the 10-acre property which exhausts the land once the chicken’s manure hits the ground.  To preserve the pastures, Tim moves the egg houses every few days in the summer so that the pasture-based birds don’t exasperate the grass. Relocating the movable electric fencing provides the chickens with fresh grasses and little bugs to munch. Next door the sheep bray as if to remind Tim that they want his attention and food as well. It’s a humid morning; even while the clouds continue to stack forming cotton-candy-colored whisps, Tim and his wife Chelsea smile and laugh as they take a moment to allow the two sheep and the little lamb to eat from their hands. The early light seems to match the ease and clairvoyance of the Clarkson couple as they dream about more sheep, which is what Chelsea is hoping for eventually.

As the couple kicks off their boots and enter the house, the mood shifts from country fields to a tasteful and warm smorgasbord of velvet thrones and carefully curated walls of art. Life is happening within these walls, and it must also pause for moments to absorb the fast-paced performance that the farm demands. Looking around seems to transport you from the heat and the humidity of the summer into a fusion of Chelsea’s Cuban roots and the appreciation that she and Tim share for literature about real life and making it more meaningful. In addition to the grove ladder hung above the cabinets in the kitchen, there is a beautiful array of artwork. The priceless relics lining the walls of the family room, tell a family history as you examine each piece. A reading nook provides space for thoughtful contemplation and a view of the land that the Clarksons manage.

Chelsea chuckles as they cozy up for a picture following the morning routine. Stretching on the sofa and having a cup of matte is a small deviation from the relentless frenzy of feeding their more than 2,000 Golden Comet chickens by 7 a.m.

As they retreat from the heat inside to a converted garage into their newly functioning home, it would be easy to forget that, just beyond the antique mahogany table and velvet Victorian sofa, there is much work left to be done. As the sun is rising and chasing away the morning mist there are still more than 800 eggs (significantly less than the 1200 eggs during the fall and spring) to be collected and washed.  While listening to Tim and Chelsea visit about their farm and story, it wouldn’t be hard to imagine that this is easy, a simple way of backyard homesteading. Most people would find it difficult to believe that Chelsea and Tim actually got their start in town with four chickens in their yard more than six years ago; today the system that they operate daily takes focus, determination, and consistent hard work.

Tim takes a seat near the bookshelves and lights a pipe. Chelsea adores the scent of his smokes and explains her memories in association with her childhood. It’s a scent that brings unity to this couple as they’ve known each other since middle school. The familiarity between them and their three daughters portrays a sense of consistency that permeates the property. They are pioneers: pursuing new ideas in their areas of expertise, honing those skills, and happy to teach those around them, both in the markets and with the vendors that they distribute through. The Clarkson’s have a rare affinity for taking pleasure in what they can learn and enjoy both the challenges of their work and the glory of discovery. They’ve trusted their abilities, and they aren’t afraid to work hard and laugh when things don’t go as planned. We tip our hat to their consistency and faithful farming.

Shop Tim’s look: Floppy Top Brown boot, Open Road in Fawn, and Modern Snap Front Western Shirt in Chambray.

Shop Chelsea’s Look: Mag 7 3X Cowboy Hat, Dark Floral Dress

Shop youth styles: Amish Youth hat

Field Venture is a collaboration between Chef James Gop of Heirloom Fire and Magdalena Mieczkowska of Magdalena Events. Having worked on over 100 successful events together, the two wanted to create something that allowed them the opportunity to build imaginative events of their own design from the ground up. Field Venture continues to be a unique expression of James and Magdalena’s vision of their most idyllic celebrations and you’ll want a seat at the table, I promise. Visit them here.

For their latest event, Field Venture hosted “Into The Wild,” an immersive dining experience at Gather Greene, a nature retreat in the Hudson Valley. The team wore Stetson caps throughout the experience.

In this Stetson Story, we interview Chef James Gop with images from “Into The Wild” by Elaina Mortali.

What is your philosophy when it comes to food and the experiences you create around food?

To me it’s about a moment in time, capturing a memory that you will reflect back on as the year pass. It’s a recipe but on a much larger scale. The recipe starts with where you’ve sourced your food and how it was raised. The people you get the food from should be jovial and have a sense of pride in their wears. Then there is the setting; for “Into The Wild,” we wanted to take people out of their expectations of what a restaurant or a conventional dining experience is. The cocktail hour leads the guests through the woods as they stumble upon the multi-sensory course. The presentation is also as important as the ingredients. We eat with our eyes and taste with our nose. I want every individual that is our guest to walk away feeling bewildered and so moved it’s as though they spent a week away from reality.

What’s your favorite dish on the “Into the Wild” menu? Why?

This is a hard question since each dish and experience has so much thought put into it. The dining room for “Into the Wild” will be running along a shale quarry and looks almost otherworldly. As trout is native to upstate NY, we will be preparing a course featuring it. We will make gnocchi with charcoal and roughly shape it in form of the jagged shale. The trout will be gently laid on top of gnocchi “rocks” and a spoon of broth that’s been infused with rockweed to give a bit of an ocean flavor to it. This course will mimic the guest’s surroundings at the table and should have the guests feeling very connected to that moment in time.

What inspires you?

Nature. I often find the best sources of influence for a new dish when looking at a specific area in the woods. Each season lends new fauna and more opportunities for inspiration.

How do you stay creative?

A healthy mix of hard work and reward. I am often sketching new pieces of equipment for us to craft or new dishes. This past winter was an exercise in madness trying to understand how to make the perfect loaf of wood-fired sourdough bread. From feeding the starter at the right times to managing the heat and figuring out a way to inject enough steam in – I was baking every day! After a while that wears me down but if I do things that give me a sense of instant accomplishment like sweeping the floor or doing laundry, that helps tip the scale back into the creative land.

Do you have any memorable food experiences as a child that impacted you as a chef?

It’s interesting. My parents come from the generation of “look how much you can get for so little money” My grandmother, on the other hand, had 5 children and was lower income so she had to make as much from the little she had. Every year for Thanksgiving my grandmother led the charge on the dinner preparations. Starting several days ahead, she would make all of the dishes from scratch. I always watched in amazement because these were one of those few occasions I would get to see the full force of which my grandmother was. In the beginning, I would watch in awe as she would feed big chunks of cabbage into a hand crank food mill to make her classic cabbage salad. One year I was asked to do a few things to help and each year I took a bit more on. As the years passed, I suppose I never knew how important those times around that holiday where to help form me into the cook that I am today.

Do you have any tips for new chefs?

So cliche but put the work in. Work hard, harder than anyone in the room. study in your off time. Enjoy some of the off time indulging in the firewater but not too much. Stay curious and constantly push yourself little by little into areas that are uncomfortable, it’s the only way to grow and understand what you are capable of. Embrace failure, it’s the greatest teacher.

How does Stetson fit into your style?

The name Stetson says it all. It’s been around for a very long time for a reason. The nature of my lifestyle and work (lifting heavy steel, building and cooking over fires in the middle of the blazing heat or surrounded by downpours) demands a high toll on my clothing. At the same time, my crew and I have to look great while we do it. Have an affinity for English Countryside attire so I was pleasantly surprised to find out that Stetson mad flat caps. I have a whole slew of caps but the Stetson caps have a level of detail that is above others by a long shot. The attention to detail and rugged durability are exactly what I look for in my clothing and attire.

Stetson visited tattoo artist, Josh Arseneau at Electric Anvil, where he works and took a stroll around his Brooklyn neighborhood with his dogs Larry and Shaq. Read along for the full interview.

Stetson: When did you start your career as a tattoo artist?

Josh Arseneau: It’s not fair to say that I started my career when I was 19, but that’s when I started tattooing. I was so excited after getting my first tattoo that I wanted to start running before I could crawl, so to speak. I saved money and bought a kit from the back of a Tattoo magazine sometime in 1994. It was, of course, a complete, nightmarish mistake. I didn’t even know how to set up a tattoo machine! I was looking at pictures and trying to figure it all out. I did some terrible tattoos on a few friends and realized I was in way over my head. Over the years, I learned some tricks and did a little work here and there but I never had a formal apprenticeship. I certainly regret that now! That’s truly the only way to really learn the trade and could have saved me ten years of my life.

In any case, by 2009, I finally took the plunge and fully committed myself to my craft. I had a great support system at that point; Atlas Tattoo in Portland, Oregon. I’d been getting tattoos from that crew for ten years by that point and they were kind enough to offer bits of advice when I asked for it.

My true career started in 2012 when I went to work for Dean Williams and Oliver Peck in Dallas, Texas, at Elm Street Tattoo. They took a huge chance on me and I hope I made it worth their while!

Stetson: What was your first tattoo?

JA: I remember when I was 16 or 17 I saw older guys with tattoos and thought, “damn they look cool; I’ve got to get one!”. So, when I turned 18, I went to a shop I had been driving past for some time. It was a shop named Southern Thunder Tattoo in Salt Lake City, Utah. I think it must have been the summer of 1993. There were only two guys working there; Mick and Bones. Mick was the tattooer and Bones ran the front. I brought in the image that I wanted tattooed, which was a tracing from an album cover of my favorite band at the time; it’s kind of an eyeball thing with claws on it. I still have it and will never cover it!

They were stoked on the image and it didn’t take any time before I was in the chair. Mick smoked a cigar while he tattooed me and Bones told stories. The one I remember was about the gnarl of scar tissue on Mick’s forearm; something about “cigar tattoo removal” of an unwanted design applied in prison…

Stetson: What do you enjoy doing when you’re not tattooing?

JA: These days, when I’m not tattooing, I enjoy drawing, painting and hanging out with my wife, Emily. She’s the best!  I spend a lot of time with my two dogs and I’m also trying to learn French. I try to work out a few days a week on top of all that. Never a dull moment!

Stetson: Do you have a favorite tattoo artist of all time?

JA: It’s hard to say if I have a favorite; my influences range far and wide. I will say that some of my tops(dead and living) are Sailor Jerry, Mike Malone, Bert Grimm, Oliver Peck, Dean Williams, Scott Harrison, Jerry Ware, Dan Gilsdorf and my good friend, Tyson Arndt. To name everyone that has made me a better tattooer would take all day!

Stetson: What has been your favorite moment of your career so far?

JA: One of the times that immediately comes to mind happened pretty early on in my career. I was in Sweden with Tyson and Oliver and we had just finished a convention. It was my first, and the guys were asking me how I thought it went and how busy I was. When I told them how many tattoos I did, Oliver gave me a high-five and said, “you’ll never have to pay to travel again!”  That moment really registered with me because I realized, then, that tattooing can open so many closed doors. All you have to do is work your ass off and the world can be at your fingertips.

Stetson: What is your favorite part of being a tattoo artist?

JA: I think one of my favorite things about being a tattooer is the freedom. It’s easy to complain about the day to day minutiae, the slow months of the year and problem clients, but overall this is the best job in the world for me. I never was the type to sit behind a desk and I was never that great dealing with strict bosses. Things have worked out great and I feel very lucky!

Stetson: Do you travel for work?

JA: Whenever I can! I love to travel. It’s a huge part of the tattooers’ DNA. I think traveling is a great way to learn about the world and yourself. When you can mix it up with working and meeting new people, it’s even better!

Stetson: How does Stetson fit into your style?

JA: I’ve always loved wider brimmed hats as a part of men’s’ style. I think they look distinguished and are the perfect way to add a touch of personality to an outfit. For me, the perfect solution to this is the Stetson Open Road. It’s got that western vibe but it can just as easily be worn on the streets of Brooklyn. I’m hooked on the woven Hemp Open Road version; I think it’s going to be in heavy rotation this summer!

Three friends travel from far and wide for a journey to White Sands to make the most of the longest day of Summer. This is their adventure in Wrangler and Stetson captured by photographer Heath Herring.

Grace Askew, Robert Dean and Shondina Lee.

Shondia Lee meets Grace at a diner in New Mexico wearing the Open Road 10X Straw.

Grace wears the Gus Straw Cowboy Hat.

Robert in the classic Open Road.

There’s always time for ice cream at Ciliche’s Frozen Custard in Las Cruces, New Mexico. They have every flavor imaginable.

A road trip photo essay by Rambo featuring model Alyssa Brown. Check out their feature on Vogue.com.