Sowa: The cap that sparked our creativity

When we designed the Sowa cap, we stuck to our usual specifications: made in Europe, recycled materials, impeccable finishes. Simple on paper but much less so in reality.

The initial idea was to create a classic baseball cap. However, the number of European factories is limited. The factories we contacted offered finishes below our standards, forcing us to use their materials, often from Asia.

Eventually, we found a Polish factory that could help us with cap assembly while allowing us control over the materials.

Problem: this factory specializes in technical sports caps, not the structured model we initially envisioned. Rather than forcing it, we listened to what the field was telling us.

We pivoted to a 5-panel cap with a sportier profile. After reflection, this silhouette ultimately best suited Lagoped's DNA.

For the part covering the head, we drew from what we master: the fabric of our RAICHO shirt. Quick-drying, breathable, resistant – it was exactly what we needed. But a cap also has a visor. And that, we had never made.

We called every European plastic visor manufacturer we could find. Little enthusiasm on their part.

So, we were on our own. Our first attempt: a recycled foam sheet: easy to sew, but it didn't hold its shape as desired.
Second attempt with…believe it or not: fabric for baby bibs. Its semi-rigid plasticized appearance seemed promising, except that the visor flopped.

It was by dissecting competitors' caps that we had the epiphany. These visors... they strangely resembled plastic office folders. What if we called manufacturers of recyclable plastic folders?

Bingo! One of them agreed to adapt their cut to our dimensions. We tested several thicknesses, checked rigidity, and ensured compatibility with sewing. When everything met our criteria, we launched the production of our Omniplast visors. Ready to be assembled to form the Sowa cap you know today.

The Sowa was born from all of this: dead ends, pivots, ideas from elsewhere. Proof that even with strict specifications like ours, there's always a solution. You just have to look where no one else is looking.

With desire and obstinacy, constraint leads to creativity.