Two Feathers: The Story Behind the PM Outfitters Logo

People ask about the logo more than almost anything else we make. Two turkey feathers, side by side. No eagle, no antlers, nothing flashy. It's a fair question, and it's about time I actually answered it.

Why a Turkey

A turkey isn't a majestic bird. It doesn't soar. It's not the symbol you'd pick if you wanted to look impressive on a hat. But that's kind of the point. A wild turkey is grounded — it lives and works close to the earth, and everything it has, it earned right there on the land. Across a lot of old traditions, turkey feathers stand for abundance, pride, and gratitude — not the kind you're handed, but the kind you build for yourself. That felt a lot closer to what this business actually is than anything with wings spread wide and talons out.

Why Two

Two feathers, side by side, has one meaning that shows up again and again: balance. Two forces, working together instead of against each other. For PM Outfitters, those two forces are tradition and reinvention.

Tradition is the craft itself — real patches, real heat presses, real hands doing real work, the same way hats have been built for generations. Reinvention is everything else. It's the fact that I spent five years earning a PhD and another fifteen years as a professor after that, invested more time and resources into that path than most people invest in anything in their life, and then walked away from it to start a hat business in Mississippi. That's not a small pivot. That's tearing up a plan other people were proud of and building a new one because it was actually mine.

Doubling Down

The other meaning that kept coming up when I looked into this was simpler: doubling down. Not one feather — two. Not a cautious step — a real commitment, made in full, with no plan to half-do it.

Leaving academia wasn't a leap I took lightly, and it wasn't one I took quietly hedging my bets either. It was betting on my own judgment over a path that had already been laid out for me. It was choosing my own values over ones I'd been handed. It was trading twenty years of credentials for creative freedom, and being my own boss instead of someone else's. Two feathers, side by side, is what that looks like from a distance: tradition and reinvention, balanced, and both of them fully committed to.

What It Means Today

Every hat that leaves this workshop carries that same logo, and now you know what's actually behind it. It's not a random mascot or a placeholder graphic. It's grounded work, real reinvention, and a bet I doubled down on and haven't looked back from since.

FAQ

What do the two feathers in the PM Outfitters logo represent? They represent tradition and reinvention in balance, along with the idea of doubling down fully on a decision rather than hedging it.
Why a turkey feather instead of another bird? Turkey feathers are traditionally tied to abundance, pride, and gratitude that's earned rather than given — which reflects the grounded, hands-on nature of the business.
Is the logo tied to a personal story? Yes — it reflects founder Curtis Matherne's decision to leave a twenty-year academic path — five years earning a PhD and fifteen more as a professor — to build PM Outfitters on his own terms.