It is hard to believe that Von Dutch is a company that is only about 5 years old. For such a young business its impact and success have been enormous.  Most people were introduced to the Von Dutch name by the sudden omnipresence of their trucker hats with the distinctive signature logo. It seemed that all the cool celebrities from Paris Hilton to Brittany Spears wanted to be photographed wearing the unique emblem.  It was not uncommon to see them selling for close to a hundred dollars a piece at trendier stores.  But there was only so far that a company could go selling hats especially when knockoffs were available on the street for about five dollars.

According to Tonny Sorensen founder and CEO of Von Dutch Originals the copies are bad and good things.  Apart from the copyright infringements, marketplace mayhem and lost revenue, the fact that people were duplicating Von Dutch products indicated that they were on the right track. The explosion of fakes out there was also reinforcing the brand.  And while the opportunity seeking forgery squads, operating illegally, could easily replicate a hat, they could not recreate the dynamic and inspired energy of the Von Dutch creative team. A former world champion marshal artist Sorensen decided that the best defense was a good offense.  He realized Von Dutch had to move out way ahead of the copycats and produce a product that they could not touch.  So they began to concentrate on design and quality.

Von Dutch has introduced one of the strangest and eclectic product selections on the planet. Only perhaps a military supplier would have a weirder inventory. The grouping of custom built motorcycles, tiny T’s, pet clothing, jewelry, bowling ball bags, swimwear, toys, roadside relics, custom denim, wall art, miniskirts, kids wear and beer coolers all under one brand seemed like a cohesive fit to the marketing renegades at Von Dutch Headquarters in Los Angeles.

That might also be why they won a Guerrilla Marketing Award last year and watch sales soar in the first three years from one million to thirty three big ones. There are mysterious forces at work. There is no point in second guessing the Von Dutch trend makers. Their intuitive and anti-scientific methods always seem to be spot on.