The Business Story of True Brvnd, the Original Upside Down Hat Brand

Believe it or not, hat brands are becoming trendy in the world of fashion. While you may notice lots of companies flipping their logo upside down and sticking it on a hat, True Brvnd was the first company to do so.

Sang Truong was a marine veteran living in Dallas, TX. True Brvnd (pronounced true brand), was actually his 7th attempt at starting a clothing brand.

In 2020, COVID-19 shut businesses down and heavily affected sports leagues. At the time, things felt out of place. For Sang, the world felt “upside down.” During this time, he created the iconic upside down Dallas logo and stuck it on a hat. The logo design seemed to catch people’s attention.

During the first launch, Truong sold only 30 hats. However, all of the hats sold out instantly. Sang knew he created something special.

Sang wanted more help to continue growing his brand. During the 7th round of 2020 NFL Draft, Sang noticed the Dallas Cowboys selected Ben DiNucci, a QB from James Madison University. During training camp, Sang sent a DM to Ben. Six months later, that conversation turned into a business partnership, as DiNucci became co-owner of True Brvnd.

In 2021, the NFL’s Hard Knocks was also set to film the Dallas Cowboys. Sang and Ben saw an opportunity to showcase the True Brvnd to millions of viewers (for free). During interviews, Ben did his best to show the hat when the camera was filming him. Tons of online orders started to come in when the episode aired.

Another massive win for the company was when Dak Prescott started to wear the hats. Dak loved the hats and wore them at press conferences and around team facilities. DiNucci said the business grew 10x as a result of Dak’s media exposure.

Since their hot start, True Brvnd has been busy:

• Dak Prescott limited-edition drop

• Sports licensing deals with NFL (Dallas Cowboys), NBA (Dallas Mavericks), MLB (Texas Rangers), NHL (Dallas Stars), PPA Tour (Dallas), WNBA (Dallas Wings), MLS (FC Dallas), XFL (multiple teams), & Texas Motor Speedway

• College collaborations with TCU and SMU

• Company-branded collabs with Whataburger, AT&T, and Dave & Buster’s

• Post Malone wears hat at the Super Bowl

• Luka Doncic wearing the hat

Their business model is simple. Sell exclusive hats online and through authorized dealer locations. High demand and low supply seems to be an effective formula for them. According to their website, the locations are only at pro shop locations of the Dallas Cowboys or in the arenas of Dallas professional sports franchises.

True Brvnd hats typically sell at $35-$40 each. They have released some clothing, but the majority of their business is selling unique hats that represent Dallas.

True Brvnd has nearly 100k Instagram followers and is currently a multi-million dollar clothing brand.