Since 1903, the Stormy Kromer brand has come to embody the independence, wit and grit of the upper Midwest. It all started with a cap. George “Stormy” Kromer, a semi-pro baseball player and railroad engineer, kept losing his hat on the train. He asked his wife, Ida, to sew an earband on his favorite ball cap to keep his ears warm and the hat snug. It worked. Over the past century, many brands have come and gone, yet we’ve survived and thrived — thanks to the adventurers, the workers, the dreamers, and all the excellent people who value style, durability, and a sense of fun. You turned a simple wool cap into an icon and the cornerstone of a brand that remains fresh and authentic more than a century after Ida’s very first stitch.