It’s easy to think that in order to prosper in the commerce world, you have to reinvent the wheel – but often, that’s far from the truth.

In fact, quality craftsmanship and a unique spin on an established every day item can actually be the recipe for success. Oska Truffaux knows this more than most.

He’s taken his passion for hats as well as his accidentally-found talent for panama hat design and grown it into a million dollar business, Truffaux, all without adding any extra frills to the classic hat. He simply tested, customized, and offered a premium fitting process for his hats, providing an unmatched first-rate buying process for his customers and building brand trust in the process.

Oska’s story shows just how focusing on quality rather than novelty is key for classic product concepts.

Allow me to introduce Oska Truffaux…

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So, who are you and what’s your business?

My name is Oska Truffaux and I am a hatmaker who specializes in Panama hats.

What is your backstory and what inspired you to come up with / pursue this idea?

I was living in Ecuador and needed a good hat, which proved to be surprisingly difficult. So I went to a local hatmaker, and designed exactly what I wanted. Everywhere I went, people would stop me and ask where they could buy it. I had become a hatmaker, and it rolled out from there very quickly.

Take us through the process of designing, prototyping, and manufacturing your first product or service- what was that like?

Initially I designed twelve hats, but lost all but one on a bus in the Amazon. Then I did a lot of research and focused on making complex weaves that nobody else was doing.

Describe launching the company… Where did you start?

There was a lot of product testing which we did at design markets and beach-side popup stores. Putting hats on people’s heads, observing their reaction and then modifying the hats on the fly to suit everyone. That skill in customization has persisted as an important part of our fitting process.

After a year we headed to Europe to open a store in Saint Tropez, France and everything took off.

We followed with stores in Hawaii, New York and Tokyo over the next 12 years. Fluxing between the hemispheres for 6 months at a time, chasing the sun.

What has worked to attract & retain customers so far?

Personal service, with passion.

What books, podcasts, or people have been the most influential on your journey?

Plant medicine has been a very important part of the whole process.

How are things going today and what does the future look like?

After running around the world for 15 years, we have settled in our Sherbrooke home in the mountains of Melbourne. We opened a world class local store that keeps us very busy, and our international online store is booming.

Any advice for others who are just starting out?

Approximate the dream you have, and then you will learn very quickly what works. Then you can move and change rapidly rather than doing it all properly and delaying everything for years.

What’s the best way for people to connect and follow you? Website, Social Profiles, Etc…

www.truffaux.com – social media is annoying