Kavu Weathers Whirlwind Year Of Sales -- Building A Better Baseball Cap

Barry Barr may be a member of Generation X, but he doesn't have much time to complain about the excesses of his elders. His year-and-a-half-old company is skillfully shooting the rapids of the American outdoors retail industry - and without a single employee above the age of 26.

Barr, 24, reinvented the baseball cap, found people to market it, and has managed to convince some of the nation's most prominent outdoor retailers to buy it.

The most difficult problem facing his 20-employee company, called KAVU, is keeping up with demand for its cotton-duck and webbing cap, which floats in water and can be adjusted without being removed. KAVU is currently shipping 5,000 a month.

Sales have reached $120,000 and are expected to hit $200,000 to $250,000 by year's end. KAVU is already turning a profit, said Pete Bryant, KAVU sales manager and Barr's Washington State University compatriot.

Barr first designed the "classic strap-cap," assembled on-the-spot in Alaskan waters from climbing webbing and staples. The sewn version looks like a visor with a cross of webbing going over the head and an adjustable clasp in back. From that came the full baseball cap, made with heavy cotton cloth wrapped at the brim with the one-inch-wide nylon webbing. For stiffness and flotation, a stiff styrofoam insert is sewn into the visor. The caps sell for $18.50.

KAVU stands for "Klear Above, Visibility Unlimited," a phrase taken from the aviation industry that describes perfectly the spirit of the active adventurer, said Barr.

Barr had good reason to create a better hat. He kayaks, hikes, rock climbs, bikes and skis. He wanted something that would both protect his head and stay on.

"We rarely find hats that have that much appeal," said Terry Shively, product manager for basic clothing at REI Inc. Not only did Shively decide to sell the hats in 43 REI outlets, he put them in the Spring 1995 catalog, a step he says is rare for a first-time vendor.

"The cap has unique features that functionally make it a really well-designed product," he said.

KAVU's hat gained popularity from the beginning, especially among white-water rafters and mountain bikers, but a trade show in Reno this August gave the firm a big boost; KAVU filled the last order from the show last week.

Almost all current sales are in the Northwest, said Barr; he anticipates more rapid growth as national distribution kicks in.

John F. Kennedy Jr. has been seen on tabloid television shows wearing the hat, and knock-offs have begun to appear, which Barr takes as a compliment.

"You're going to get knocked off," he said, adding that few manufacturers will spend the money to make the hat as durable as KAVU does.

Barr grew up in a marketing family; his father was a manufacturer's representative in the boating industry. Although Barr graduated from WSU with a pre-law degree, he said he always knew owning a business was his future. "I wasn't going to work for anyone," he said.

He went into the salmon-fishing business in Alaska after graduating in December 1992. Two things happened while he skippered his 32-foot vessel: he discovered that a traditional baseball cap was not designed for the rough weather and hard work, and he made enough money to put a stake in his own design. He has invested about $40,000 in the company.

Barr said he really doesn't think about being a part of Generation X.

"It's a perceived thing by the baby boomers," he said, adding that worries he wouldn't get respect were dispelled by the successful Reno trade show.

He doesn't discriminate on the basis of age. Employees need not worry they'll be let go at 27, but he thinks the company's youth has been a factor in KAVU's growth.

KAVU's products are assembled from U.S.-made fabrics in a White Center sewing shop and are then shipped to a Fremont warehouse.

KAVU has explored some other tributaries, including a line of vests (about $70), shorts (for under $40) and T-shirts. It also has experimented with other fabrics, including fleece. The company also makes visors with webbing around the back of the head and stiff cotton covering the forehead, to help avoid sunburns.

Accessories include a webbing belt with a quick-release clasp, keychains and watchbands.

Two other unique products fall into the headwear department: the bandanna hat and the "urban turban." But the basball cap is still the bestseller.

Barr said he wants to make KAVU "the Nike of hats." The obvious next step was sports endorsements. KAVU sponsors Dave Harrison, a Sun Valley, Idaho, resident and national top-20 mountain-bike racer trying for a spot on the U.S. Olympic bike-racing team.

"They came up with a better hat," said Harrison, who wears one under his bike helmet as well as a KAVU jersey when he competes. "I love that cotton duck."

KAVU is also working out a licensing agreement with the U.S. Canoe and Kayak Olympic Team that would allow KAVU to make hats embroidered with the team's logo.

"We picked KAVU because it's a young, dynamic company that has created a product that fits our sport," said Leslie Klein, director of partner programs for the team.

A major goal, said sales manager Bryant, is to continue marketing the hat as a special product. "We're not going to the discount sporting goods stores," he said.

One of the first stores to carry the cap was Gregg's Greenlake Cycle, which sells and rents just about anything on wheels powered by muscle. The store is quite happy with sales, and now stocks other KAVU products, said Matt Van Enkevort, soft goods buyer.

"One way we can tell the potential success of a new product," he said, "is if the employees buy it. They're high on the product."