An Ethic That's Earned
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A Passion For The Craft
Christy Sing Robertson is the owner of Sing Hat Company, a custom hat company based in Jackson, Wyoming. Christy strikes a delicate balance between business owner, creative and full-time mom to create truly unique handmade hats. Her craft goes beyond her workshop and into the relationships she builds with her customers and her community to create much more than a business, but a legacy that can only be earned with mountain grit and determination.
An Ethic That's Earned
Christy wasn’t crafty. She wasn’t a maker. And she never really knew how to sew. But today, Christy Sing Robertson is making a name for herself in the custom hat industry with a skill set some might assume she was born with.
Her style is timeless. Her approach is traditional. Her personality is effervescent. The hats, with their sculpted curves and gentle lines that reach towards the western blue sky, speak for themselves.
It’s easy to assume that artists and makers are born with a desire to create and an exquisite eye for detail and balance. But growing up in rural Arkansas, there wasn’t much time for arts and crafts. Christy’s single mom worked hard to support the family, and watching this instilled a sense of purpose and grit in her at a young age.
Christy has always loved design and fashion. Her grandma sewed for a living and her mom often made them clothes. But growing up, she was never able to sit still and find time to create. She worked odd jobs, like waiting tables or gardening, and never really felt like college was an option.
She found work as a saleswoman in the insurance industry and quickly climbed the ranks to become one of the state’s top selling agents. Life was good; she was great at her job and had a lucrative career trajectory. She was close to family and had no reason to leave. That was until she heard a voice in her head while she was driving that told her she was going out west.
So, she did. She found work at a guest ranch in Teton National Park. Scrubbing toilets, getting one day off a week and lacking any real responsibility was liberating to her. She moved back to Arkansas after the season was over, but couldn’t stop thinking about her simple and intentional life out west.
After a short stint in Virginia Beach and another in New York City, she heard that voice again, telling her she was going to move to Wyoming on January 1st. In 2005 she moved to Jackson, WY fulltime and took her job with her.
The Anti-Hustle
Christy was no stranger to the hustle. The culture of early mornings, late nights and the constant pursuit of busyness had defined her and helped her become successful. It wasn’t until she had kids in 2008 that this mindset began to shift; valuing quality time with her family meant so much more to her than a paycheck.
This period in her life she defines as the anti-hustle is around the same time she took a felt hat that needed shaping to a hat shop in Jackson, WY and struck up a conversation with the shop owner.
She loved old cowboy hats, their style, looks and utility. The same voice she heard in her head that told her to move west, also told her she was going to make hats. Two months later, the owner of the hat shop found an apprenticeship for Christy. She was still working full time and raising kids as a single mom, but she found the time and money to take the classes.
Full-Time Hatter
In 2018, Christy opened up her hat shop full time and hasn’t looked back. She credits her skills at building relationships — the same skills that made her great at insurance sales — to help launch the business. It’s no coincidence that the cowboy hat – an iconic symbol of the grit and independence of the American west – had become such an integral part of someone who embodies these characteristics so well.
Christy will be the first to admit that her skills as a hatter have come a long way since she opened up shop. But she was brave enough to take the first step, almost 25 years ago when she listened to that voice in her head telling her she was going to move west. She had faith in the process and trusted her intuition.
She never intentionally looked for an escape from her corporate career. She believes if you put in the work, the opportunities will come. The Corridor Principle: you need to move in a direction toward your venture, even though you can’t see the doors that will be opened up for you when you get there.
Currently, she’s in a season of her life where she doesn’t have much free time, running a business and raising kids with her husband, Chris. She’s managing the tension, and when it relaxes, she escapes for a hike or a cross country ski, or works in her garden during the growing season.
Beyond The Brim
The intention of her craft – small batch, heirloom quality, slow fashion – has helped her build a successful business with loyal customers. And this intent pours over into other areas of her life where she emphasizes relationships and conversation.
There are many other hat shops in Jackson, but they aren't Sing hats. All her hats are made by appointment only so she can take the time to get to know her customers, their needs, desires and expectations for their hats. Christy’s craft goes beyond shaped beaver felt and delves into an increasingly rare opportunity to have something truly made for you, your person, your soul, your spirit. She simply gets people.
She wants to help her customers grow their love of traditional and heritage crafts and encourage them to find a reason to outfit their homes, closets, or lives from other artisans on a similar path.
When you buy a hat from Christy, you’re supporting more than a woman owned and operated business. You’re supporting the trappers who provide the beaver felt to make durable hats, the hat band makers and so many others.
Order a custom hat online and keep up with Christy on Instagram for the latest updates from this talented and charming hatter from Jackson, WY.
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