Today we’d like to introduce you to Jennifer Wagner.
Hi Jennifer, can you start by introducing yourself? We’d love to learn more about how you got to where you are today?
After spending more than 15 years recruiting for top biotech and biopharma companies across the country, I found myself laid off once again — a reminder of how unpredictable the market can be. It was one of those pivotal moments where I had to stop and ask myself what I really wanted to do next. Deep down, I knew I needed to return to something that had always made me happiest — being creative and surrounded by fashion.
It took me right back to my early days working in retail and fashion — styling window displays at the Dallas Apparel Mart, managing the Guess store, and later becoming an Assistant Buyer for Gadzooks’ concept store, Orchid. Those experiences shaped my eye for design, color, and trend, and they reminded me how much I loved creating something people could truly connect with.
So I picked up a denim jacket and started designing again — just for fun. My first piece, a cherry blossom jacket, got such a great reaction that I decided to keep going. That one design reignited my passion and became the start of The VinHaus Originals, followed by “the maddhattery”, my line of one-of-a-kind custom hats.
What began as a creative outlet soon evolved into a full-fledged business — and a new chapter that brought me back to my roots. In 2023, I launched The VinHaus Boutique & Hat Bar, blending my love for design, fashion, and entrepreneurship. What I thought was another setback turned out to be the spark that reconnected me to who I’ve always been — a creator at heart.
The VinHaus Story
The VinHaus Boutique & Hat Bar was founded in 2023 by Jennifer Wagner, a lifelong fashion lover with a background in retail buying, fashion merchandising, and design. What began as a creative outlet designing custom denim jackets and seeking vintage finds quickly evolved into a full lifestyle brand featuring custom hats, collection of vintage jewelry, and handcrafted accessories — and most attractive to our customers is the mobile hat bar experience traveling across Texas.
In late 2023, Jennifer joined forces with Jennifer Whitfield, a seasoned entrepreneur and marketing professional with a passion for creativity and connection. Together, they have grown The VinHaus into a thriving boutique brand and one of Texas’s most fun and fashionable mobile hat bar experiences, offering everything from intimate design parties to large-scale corporate events.
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Meet the Founders
Jennifer Wagner – Designer & Managing Partner
Jennifer Wagner has been immersed in fashion since her teenage years. With a degree in Fashion Merchandising and Design, she began her career with brands like The Limited, Guess, and Gadzooks, where she rose to Assistant Buyer for their concept store, Orchid. She later transitioned into entrepreneurship, launching her first promotional modeling business before spending 15 years in biotech recruiting — including as Director & Head of Talent Acquisition for a Bay Area biotech firm.
Craving a creative outlet, Jennifer began designing custom denim jackets and hats, leading to the creation of The VinHaus Originals and the maddhattery. Her passion for vintage finds inspired The VinHaus Vintage, and cultivated a beautiful collection. Her creative vision and entrepreneurial drive have made The VinHaus a fast-growing name in Texas fashion.
Jennifer Whitfield – Partner & Brand Strategist
With a degree in Advertising and Art from Texas State University, Jennifer Whitfield began her career in advertising and product development before spending 20+ years in corporate technology sales. Alongside her professional success, she built a thriving beauty business and later pursued her passion for real estate and entrepreneurship.
After designing her first custom hat at a Dallas Market hat bar, she immediately knew she’d found her next chapter. Serendipitously, she reconnected with Jennifer Wagner — who had already launched The VinHaus — and the two joined forces in late 2023. Today, Jennifer brings her marketing expertise, creative flair, and business acumen to grow The VinHaus brand and spread the joy she first felt creating her own hat.
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The Experience
The VinHaus offers a mobile Hat Bar and boutique pop-ups across Texas, including the Farmersville Mercantile and the renowned Round Top Antique Show. The Hat Bar experience is available for private events, home parties, bachelorette parties, and corporate gatherings, where guests can create their own custom hat with premium materials, vintage accents, and designer-inspired flair.
Every piece is unisex, customizable, and uniquely personal — a wearable work of art that reflects the story of its creator.
Can you talk to us a bit about the challenges and lessons you’ve learned along the way. Looking back would you say it’s been easy or smooth in retrospect?
I started designing cheap hats that I found in retail trying to be as creative as I could with ribbons, fabric, appliques, pins, and chains. As I was selling them, they weren’t at the level I wanted them to be so put more into the business buying felt hats and teaching myself how to burn and brand, then painting the hats, even dip dying them. I also taught myself how to shape the hats. Hoping to someday become a true Millner but what is needed to create from a wool felt hat body is very expensive.
I try to create unique pieces that no one else has. Now I am designing and creating hat jewelry that can be purchased for their current hat, Trying to figure out the direction for the business has been a huge challenge. Buying merchandise in too many categories and spreading myself too thin has also been a challenge.
My partner is in Austin and we both have other businesses to pay the bills which makes it hard to grow The VinHaus.
Being a business owner, having to do everything from designing, creating, buying, marketing, merchandising our store, inventory, website design and updates, customer outreach, socials, pop-up events, and accounting!! I am not a web designer, accountant or social media expert but do what we can. I currently design felt hats, recycled denim jackets – both are our biggest sellers. I thought the hat trend might die someday and started designing jewelry. Since the trend is still going, our focus is on our mobile hat bar for pop ups, small parties, and even corporate events.
The biggest challenge is having the funding to do the events we would like to and get in front of more customers. I love the feedback and the love for the experience from the hat bar, as well as my designs for the customers we do meet!
Appreciate you sharing that. What else should we know about what you do?
In a few words, I guess I am known as the hat lady! My designs and hats I help customers create, are unique and one-of-a-kind. I am so proud of how my hat designs have evolved over the past year. I went from just adding bands and accessories to creating a piece of art! My latest design is a felt hat that I burned star cut outs. I had a request from a customer to do a hat like the Stetson hat that has star cut outs on the brim. I was able to create a very unique piece that I am really proud of and tends to get a lot of attention along with a hummingbird I painted on the side of a hat. I have been asked to recreate and design this hat for a couple others. I recreated that hat but still being a unique piece.
What sets us apart, are the unique designs and hat accessories we design for our hats that no one else has.
What has been the most important lesson you’ve learned along your journey?
We have learned a lot about what works best in what markets. We have learned a lot about who our customer is. We tend to sell more in rural upscale markets. A few examples of areas we have done well are Celina, Prosper, Farmersville, Round Top, and Drippinig Springs, We do very well at wineries and country/blue grass concerts. We also did really well at the Dripping Springs rodeo but it has been tough getting into the Rodeo circuit due to their returning vendor list. We would like to test more markets including Dallas. We didn’t do well in Richardson or The Colony.
Pricing:
- Custom felt hat designs range $195 – $345
- We have affordable options for hat parties with our faux felts and faux suedes starting at $39
- Our hat bar is a la carte. bands, hat accessories, burning, branding, etc are priced individually
- Australian Wool Felt Base Hats – $119-$139
- Custom jacket designs – $195 – $325
Contact Info:
- Website: https://www.thevinhaus.com
- Instagram: @thevinhaus
- Facebook: @thevinhaushatbar
Image Credits
I took most of these photos. The model images are taken by Allie Schwartz and I have the rights to use as I wish.
