Luxe Western Wear Retailer Kemo Sabe Is Expanding
Kemo Sabe, a luxe men’s and women’s Western wear purveyor, is in expansion mode.
The Aspen-based business has opened its fifth store in Round Top, Texas, increased its private label offerings and relaunched its e-commerce site with an eye toward growth.
More from WWD
Duer Puts a Sustainable Spin on Performance Lifestyle Clothing
EXCLUSIVE: Sorel President Talks Expansion Plans, Williamsburg Pop-up and Chloe Bailey Collaboration
Kemo Sabe first opened its doors in 1990 in a 400-square-foot-space in Snowmass Village, Colo., with two employees and a hodgepodge of Western goods. Founders Tom and Nancy Yoder ran everything, and Kemo Sabe generated just $1,281 in sales its first month.
Fast forward to today and the Western retailer employs 150 workers and has since expanded to Vail, Colo.; Jackson, Wyo.; Park City, Utah, and now Round Top.
In 2020, the Yoders sold the company to brother-sister duo Wendy and Bobby Kunkle, who have elevated the product offering, including introducing fine jewelry, and grown sales 200 percent.
Over the years, the retailer has found a lot of success in its customizable hats, which have been worn by Jeff Bezos, Beyoncé, John Mayer and many more. Kemo Sabe recently acquired a boot factory in El Paso, Texas, to elevate private label cowboy boots in luxury and style, alongside its factory in Gainesville, Texas, which manufactures hats and buckles.
In the last three years, boot sales have increased 67 percent and hat sales 133 percent, co-owner Wendy Kunkle said.
Western fashion has been a trend for several seasons now but the pandemic was also a factor in the growth of the Aspen-based business.
“When COVID-19 hit people wanted out of the city, to get back to their roots and to feel like part of America and part of the countryside or the mountain scene. And when you go to those places, you actually wear these things,” said Kunkle, who started in sales before moving to management alongside the original owners. “But we’re not riding a wave, this is who we are.”
Kemo Sabe hats, which start at $350, are more than 50 percent of the business, including hat bands and accoutrements. “We started distressing in 1995. People thought we were crazy, taking a perfectly nice hat and doing that. Twenty years ago, we started putting swag on hats, flowers and feathers, wraps, then diamonds. It’s evolved into a monster because people get to create their own thing,” she said, noting that a large part of all sales are driven by custom orders. “If you want a diamond-encrusted buckle, we’ll make it.”
After taking over, Kunkle also sent Kemo Sabe on the road with a trailer pop-up called “Roadhouse” that brings the retail experience to real estate conferences, bachelorette parties and more across the country.
“I thought, well, we don’t do any marketing, this would be a really fun way to get out there and see people,” she said, noting that the permanent Round Top store followed a pop-up at the legendary antiques market. At 1,200 square feet, it’s the smallest of all the stores and sells mostly Kemo Sabe brand products.
But in other stores and online, the retailer also sells blanket coats by Lindsey Thornburg; boots by Old Gringo, Rios of Mercedes and Stallion; bags by Leather and Vodka; Stetson hats, and fine jewelry, including vintage. Prices range from $150 for a belt to more than $15,000 for a diamond bracelet.
Kunkle said more stores could be in the works, but for now the focus is growing e-commerce. “We’ve come up with a great way that when something sells on the web, we hand it over to a salesperson, and that salesperson calls the customer to give that personal touch you absolutely have to have with Kemo Sabe,” she said, adding that making people feel at home, whether digitally or IRL, is paramount: “Anyone who walks in the door, we turn them into a cowboy.”
Best of WWD
