Editor’s note: Made in Tarrant is an occasional Q&A series on small businesses started in Tarrant County. Submit your business here.
Tammi Putnam is contributing to Cowtown chic.
Putnam, who moved to Fort Worth from Austin 11 years ago, is selling double-sided, Western-inspired silk scarves through her online company Cowtown Wild Rags, a 5-year-old business.
“It was like a defining moment for me,” Putnam said. “I’ve always loved to wear wild rags. I was the weird kid who wore a bandanna.”
Shopping in the Fort Worth Stockyards years ago, Putnam overheard a woman complaining about one-sided scarves on sale and she realized many of her rags didn’t have the print design on both sides.
That seed planted in Putnam’s mind led to the company’s creation. “She doesn’t even know she’s part of our story,” she said. “That’s how we were born, honestly.”
Her premium, double-printed scarves — available for women and men — show more of the design when worn tied, she said. She offers the full-color scarves in two sizes: 36 inches and 42 inches.
“It costs more to print on both sides,” Putnam said. “We made that choice. We’d rather have an excellent product — that we wear, too — that people are really proud to wear.”
Women make up most of Putnam’s customers, although a large percentage are men, she said. Prices begin at $78.
Tammi Putnam spoke with senior business reporter Eric E. Garcia. This interview has been edited for length and clarity.
Garcia: Your products include wild rags for men. How did you decide to design men’s scarves?
Putnam: When we designed it, we really kept men in mind. So often, men were the afterthought for a lot of companies. We really kept men in mind and created products for both women and men. About 23% of our customers are men, a large percentage.
Garcia: How did you decide on the Western theme?
Putnam: My husband and I are both in the Western world so that was really our focus. That’s what we love, that’s what we wear. If you see us in the Stockyards, we’re gonna have on our boots, our hat, our belt buckle. That’s how we dress so it was a natural fit.
Garcia: Western wear is ingrained in the culture of Fort Worth. Does that help with your sales?
Putnam: Yes, that’s so true. We’re so proud of Fort Worth, we love Fort Worth. We’re such a wonderful city that welcomes people from all over the world as we saw during the World Cup.. They come to Fort Worth because they want to see cowboys. They’re excited to see cowboys so we’re just so proud to be a little bit of the story of Fort Worth.
Garcia: Who designs the wild rags?
Putnam: I design and I also have a couple of other designers. It’s a small team of us that designs.
Garcia: How do you pick the designs?
Putnam: Sometimes it’s just inspiration, sometimes it’s colors. A lot of times I’m thinking, ‘What do men like to wear? What is it that appeals to a lot of men?’ Sometimes men like a smaller print, they don’t always like a large, vibrant loud print. Some men do. I have a lot of men who buy our bright-pink paisley silk scarf. I just try to think about different groups and what they want.
Garcia: Do double-sided scarves sell better?
Putnam: They do. (With others) you have to try and strategically tie it so that the washed-out back doesn’t show … That’s one of the things that we’re so proud of, our double-sided full-color prints. You can tie however you want and it’s full color.
Garcia: You sell different sizes, right?
Putnam: We have 36 inches and 42 inches. … When we first started, we had a 34 inch and we just found that it was too small for men. A lot of men buy the 36 inches and a lot of women buy the 42 inches. They decide what size works best for them.
Garcia: Some people have difficulty tying scarfs. What’s your advice?
Putnam: I thought I would show a little video showing people how to tie … I walk them through, I’ve always had that teaching background. I was looking at our TikTok (account) and we have, like, 600 videos.
Garcia: I see on your site that some designs are sold out. Do you plan to restock those items?
Putnam: We do sell out pretty quickly. We’re a small, family-owned company so we don’t do thousands of units. We do like 50, 100, whatever it may be. People really seem to like our designs.
Garcia: Do you have a favorite scarf?
Putnam: Gosh, that’s like choosing your children (laughing). I do have a few favorites. I do love Sunset in the Saddle, that’s the deep red one with the turquoise. I love wearing Stormy, which is a grey paisley with turquoise. I love Cowboy Canyon and Cowboy Campfire, I wear both of those a lot. It depends on what I’m wearing.
Garcia: Do you plan other products?
Putnam: We’re sticking with scarves. We just introduced a solid line about a month-and-a-half ago. We have a jacquard line coming late this year or early next year. Lots of fun things are coming up on the horizon for us.
Eric E. Garcia is senior business reporter at the Fort Worth Report. Contact him at eric.garcia@fortworthreport.org.
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