Mitscoots Outfitters was born out of a desire to help others.
The Austin, Texas-based company sells outstanding outdoor gear, socks, shirts, beanies, scarves, gloves– but its main purpose is to provide work to people transitioning out of homelessness.
On any given night in the United States, one of the richest and most powerful countries in the world, a staggering 633,782 people are sleeping on the streets. Veterans make up about 13%, children are 22% of that number, and 42.6% are disabled or otherwise unable to gain employment. There’s no single reason someone becomes homeless, but poverty, mental illness, domestic violence, lack of health care, and job loss are some of the major factors. Once homeless, it’s an enormously difficult cycle to break.
That’s where Mitscoots steps in. They help break this cycle in two really important ways. The first is they give what you get: When you purchase something– socks, a beanie– they give that item, in your name, to one of a number of charities and organizations all over the country.
The second, and perhaps most important thing they do, is provide jobs. Actual, sustainable work.
Cause Caps are a major part of this initiative. The hats are all made in the US, providing jobs in the dwindling American manufacturing sector. Made of brushed twill, they’re soft, malleable, classic and tear-resistant. And the hats are packed up and shipped out by men and women on the path out of homelessness. If that’s not awesome enough, these Cause Caps are made with rigorous standards and come with a five year guarantee: you see one thread out of place and Mitscoots will repair it for free.
A Kickstarter campaign for Cause Caps earned well over its initial goal of $17,500, suggesting this is a problem people are passionate about solving. Plus, they’re pretty bitchin’ hats.
Mitscoots is solving problems simply by providing quality products and quality jobs.