HYP was founded in 1991

by four college basketball buddies who were tired of the same old team and licensed baseball caps (pictured above as gold medalists at the 1985 Maccabiah Games). Over a few beers at a bar in Manhattan, HYP was born. Starting with the signature HYP spiral, the founders created a collection of hats inspired by popular sayings and icons, scraped together the money for some samples, and set up a table at a New York City trade show.

At that show, a craze was born. The partners appeared on the cover of the Daily News Record, the bible of the men's fashion industry, and left the show with hundreds of orders. Soon, HYP Hats were featured in some of the finest retailers in America, including Fred Segal, Bloomingdale's, Barneys, and others. HYP Hats began to appear on the heads of celebrities, models, actors, athletes, and on TV shows and in movies.

The HYP partners-Rob, Howard, Josh, and Mike-appeared on CNBC and CNN to discuss their success. Not a bad start for a group of guys with no prior business experience. From there, HYP branched out into other categories, which has led to the company being universally recognized as one of the top sock companies in the United States, with an impressive portfolio of character, entertainment, and branded licenses. HYP has also become a leader in fun and creative gift items, including the 12 Days of Socks and many other innovative packaging ideas.

In 2025, HYP experienced new and exciting developments, including the launch of Happy Camper, a brand designed for the “Weekend Wanderer,” and entry into the world of sports with licenses for Team USA and the National Women’s Soccer League (NWSL). And look for HYP to take the underwear world by storm in 2026 with Fancy Pantz!

Look for HYP products in most of the top retailers in America and a select few top stores worldwide!

HYP supports a variety of charitable causes, but there is one charity that is very dear to us-The Scott Weingard Memorial Fund.

Scotty Weingard worked at HYP part time from the company's inception in 1991 until his graduation from the University of Michigan in 1993, and then full time from then until January of 2001. Scotty's title at HYP was "Director of Operations", but he was so much more than that-he knew more about the company than anyone, was a tireless worker, and was always helpful to everyone, all while keeping a smile on his face. Scotty left HYP to work for Cantor Fitzgerald in 2001, and he was tragically killed in the September 11 attacks on the World Trade Center. Along with Scotty's family and friends we started the Scott Weingard Memorial Fund to support causes that were important to Scotty. Since 2002, the Fund has raised over $1,000,000 and has achieved the following:

The University of Michigan

Endowed in perpetuity two four-year Dean's scholarships at the University of Michigan for students in need of financial assistance who have a family member that is a firefighter, police officer or emergency medical technician ("EMT") or was lost in the World Trade Center attack. Two students have already graduated from the school, with two others currently enrolled.

Sloan Kettering

Set up a grant at Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center in New York City. The funds are being contributed to the research team lead by Dr. Mark Weiss. His multidisciplinary team of physicians and scientists are exploring new approaches to the diagnosis and treatment of chronic lymphocytic leukemia ("CLL"), the most common form of leukemia in the United States, with the goal of developing curative therapeutic strategies. These investigations will probe the underlying causes of the disease, attempt to define factors that will predict its response to treatment and its course, and will explore new avenues of drug discovery and development.

Autism Speaks

Gave a $150,000 grant to Autism Speaks (www.autismspeaks.org) dedicated to funding research into the causes, prevention, treatments of, and a cure for, autism.

The bulk of our fundraising is done through a unique annual event that brings Scotty's family and friends together each year, and captures his spirit beautifully. The Scott Weingard Play Ball Weekend is held each September in upstate New York, and involves 12 three-person teams competing in various sports-three on three basketball, doubles tennis, softball home run hitting, golf closest to the pin, and a mini triathalon. Each team is responsible for raising at least $10,000. The event is truly a celebration of Scotty's life.

HYP strives to be a company where people want to work, and with whom customers and vendors want to do business because: