Our Story

Our Story

Vandre, a premium hat brand, was founded in 2020 by Chicago-based Menswear Influencer Dapper Professional (Ben Rascoe). After over six years of growing an Instagram following to over 100,000 people and a menswear website DapperProfessional.com, Vandre was launched.

Having the opportunity to work with hundreds of menswear products over the years, Ben applied what he learned about fabric, fit, quality, and functionality to create the Vandre premium baseball hat. Inspired by custom suiting, he identified the best fabrics in the world for the Vandre premium baseball hat and brought the product to life.

Without sacrificing functionality, these luxury fabrics are some of finest fabrics in the world not only because of their luxurious look and feel, but also their durability. Other components inspired by custom suiting include two lightly structured panels on the front of the Vandre hat, achieving a soft feel while also holding their shape. In addition to the high-quality finishes, brushed steel press closure and grommet, the thick leather strap and a thicker hat brim.

Why Baseball Hats

Baseball hats and custom suiting are a unique combination, one is inherently casual; the other formal. However, having worn baseball hats on the weekends his entire life, Ben learned from other Menswear Influencers and his Instagram following that many dapper individuals also wear baseballs hats. Ben folded his other two products he was developing to focus on bringing to market a premium baseball hat that fits the high quality standards of the rest of his wardrobe. 

Handcrafting a baseball hat with the world's best fabric took years of development and testing. It took nearly one year to find a baseball hat manufacturer that met the highest quality standards while also accepting fabrics to be sent to them for production, which is typically forbidden. After finding the perfect partner it took over another year to fine-tune all the details related to fit, design, construction, etc., while testing durability through Chicago's brutal winters. 

The Story Behind The Name

Vandre, pronounced Van-Dray, is a combination of two streets in Pittsburgh where Ben grew up. The first, part "Van" is short for Vanderbilt, where he grew up, and the second part "dre" is short for Sandrae, the nearby street where his father grew up.

It's time to elevate your style and graduate from all your other hats to own a hat that you're actually proud to wear. Your new favorite baseball hat will now match the quality of the rest of your wardrobe. Dress it up or dress it down, you can't go wrong.

Thanks for the support!