Redefining Headwear
From intentional construction to premium materials, Melin is reshaping the performance headwear industry.
TEXT BY EUNICA ESCALANTE
IMAGES COURTESY OF MELIN
TRANSLATION BY YUMI OZAKI
Growing up, Melin cofounder Brian McDonell was obsessed with baseball caps. Like so many young men, he wore one everywhere. Yet, finding the perfect ball cap always came with growing pains. Just as he settled into a new hat, the silhouette or colorway finally beginning to feel like his own, it began to deteriorate. ”And that would always piss me off because you would have to go back and find the next one, break it in, and find yourself again,” said McDonell in a 2023 interview.
Then, there were the cues of high-end style: the way a designer purse could elevate even the simplest outfit, a gesture that felt exclusive to women’s fashion. Sure, historically men had fancy watches, but the accessory was never enough of a bold statement. “To me, a purse and a hat had the same level of visibility in defining your wardrobe,” said McDonell. “But there was no way to stunt with it. So, the idea became: could there be a [hat] brand that, when a person put it on, it really upped their game and confidence?”
The thought experiment followed McDonell all through college, first at California State University, Chico, then at the Fashion Institute of Design & Merchandising, where he learned the foundations for running an apparel company, from manufacturing to marketing and sales. Then, he went onto a successful five-year tenure at Tapout, a lifestyle brand that became synonymous with the sport of mixed martial arts. As Tapout scaled exponentially, its bold graphic designs gaining popularity alongside the rise of MMA, McDonell called on a friend from Chico State, Corey Roth, to lead the brand’s key account sales. By then, it was clear that McDonell’s ambition was to start a brand of his own. In 2010, as Tapout positioned itself for an acquisition, McDonell and Roth mapped out what their own brand might look like. McDonell’s old affinity for ball caps entered the picture, resurfacing the frustrations he long felt for the industry. Even all these decades later, he realized, “there was no way to buy myself a nicer ball cap because they didn’t exist,” he said. “They were always treated as afterthought.” So, it came as no surprise when, three years later, McDonell and Roth launched Melin, a premium headwear brand that looked to disrupt the outdated ball cap industry.
From the outset, they treated the hat with the same rigor and intentionality as any other performance product. Instead of the standard cotton twills that defined most caps, Melin leaned into technical fabrics: antimicrobial linings, moisture-wicking interiors, and materials engineered to resist water, heat, and wear. Construction, too, was reconsidered. Details that had long been overlooked became central points of focus. Professional athletes quickly took notice. Among Melin’s earliest supporters were skateboarder Ryan Sheckler and NFL linebacker Zac Diles. Their line-up of styles increasingly grew, spanning from microfleece lined baseball caps to water-resistant snapbacks. Meanwhile, understated designs elevated the caps beyond casual wear.
Now, Melin is bringing their celebrated styles to the islands, with their first Hawai‘i flagship at Royal Hawaiian Center. Here, hat obsessives can shop their wide range of silhouettes, including colorways and designs exclusive to Hawai‘i, like a camouflage green Compass Hydro finished with “Aloha, Honolulu.”
Building B, Level 1
