Beard Head – Hats with Beards

David Strakunas started Beard Head because his face got cold. He wanted something other than a scarf or face mask to keep warm while snowboarding, so he decided to sew beards onto knitted ski caps. The first Beard Head beards were knitted wool; new incarnations include realistic “stubble” beards, too.

Strakunas started the business in his apartment, hand knitting each Beard Head himself. The concept caught on with the cold-faced public and he sold out of his first set of products in a month. That was in 2006, now he has Beard Heads in several THOUSAND stores world-wide and runs his business out of a warehouse in downtown LA.

With crazy characters like Vikings, Barbarians, Lumberjacks and Santa, plus team themed BeardHeads, there’s something for anyone who wants to put a little wacky in their winter wardrobe. Strakunas, who has a background in the apparel industry, is probably looking to expand in to big box retail – after all, he’s everywhere else!

My Take on Beard Head

As a Florida resident, I don’t have much use for a Beard Head – maybe beard flip-flops would suffice. When I lived in the great frozen north and skied regularly, I would have LOVED one of the viking or barbarian Beard Heads. They look warm and they look fun. People with an off beat sense of humor will eat this up. I am IN.

Do the Sharks bite on Beard Head?

On the surface, it appears that Beard Head is a successful business looking for publicity. They already have great numbers, so why would they need (or want) a Shark? When you look a little closer, it looks like they could get a deal.

Beard Head has their proprietary viking and other character products, but this is a business ripe for a licensing deal. Their “Tailgate Series” mimics the colors of NFL teams. Licensing to the NFL is tough, but a Shark could help in a big way. There are also opportunities for movie character licensing. Imagine the ton of cash from licensing alone.

This is why I think they are going to do a deal. This product isn’t up Lori’s alley, or Barbara’s. Mr. Wonderful won’t bring value and Mark won’t want to be in the Beard Head business. I think they do a deal with Robert.

Here’s why: Their website has the same “look and feel” as the Tipsy Elves site, which is a quirky apparel company that Robert invested in. Robert also got involved with licensing Happy Feet – yet another quirky apparel company. See the trend? I bet Robert leaves the Tank with a piece of Beard Head.