Meet Joshua Elliott | Owner of Dusty Desert Hat Company

We had the good fortune of connecting with Joshua Elliott and we’ve shared our conversation below.

Hi Joshua, what role has risk played in your life or career?
I think if you were to ask anyone who knows my wife and I, if they think we’re fans of risk, it would be a resounding yes. We’re originally from Washington State, just south of Seattle. We owned a beautiful home; I had a very secure job for almost 15 years with Boeing as a skill advisor/project manager. We had all the security and money you could ask for and absolutely no adventure. We were surviving life, not living life. In 2020, we took the biggest risk we could imagine and left it all behind to start a completely different life where we called the shots. We moved to Sunizona, Arizona, a very remote place near the Chiricahua Mountains that most Arizonians don’t even know exists. We bought a beautiful piece of raw land, built our own home, just the two of us, and decided to start pursuing our dreams. There’s a quote from Paulo Coelho that says “If you think adventure is dangerous, try routine, it’s lethal.” and that embodies who we are so well. Life is too short to live it for security. To live it bored. To live it without purpose. Of course it’s scary to build something from the ground up, to start at the beginning again but doing something you’re passionate about, isn’t all that risky to us. It was riskier thinking of living our old life for even one more year.


Alright, so let’s move onto what keeps you busy professionally?
Both my wife and I have spent time in the fashion industry at one time or another in our professional lives. When we decided to start making hats, what excited us most was the attention to detail we could bring to the individual. Yes, in fashion, there are mass trends but even in a trend, the individual wants something unique to them. We love working with people, getting them involved in the creative process. doing customs, restorations and transformations.

As the hat making industry becomes larger and more competitive, the processes people are taking become more mechanical. More people are using pre-shaped hats, pre-made hat accessories, and forsaking uniqueness for convenience. Not all hat makers bead their own hat bands, wrap their own feathers that they’ve collected themselves, do their own leather work, or hand dye their beads using historical processes native to their area etc. but we do and we think that sets us apart from the majority. People have taken a more active step toward supporting local small businesses and artists and we want our clients to have the confidence that when they spend the money on one of our pieces, that they’re getting full quality regardless of price and that every detail was crafted in house by one of us.

Our work is inspired by this beautiful state that we’ve settled in and our particular area that is so saturated in history. From the Apache Indians who originally owned this land, to the settlers, to the cowboys of Tombstone, to the wild west loving cattle ranchers of today. We pay homage to them all with our creations and want to expose more people to the beauty of the past and present of this amazing place. Every one of our hats is adorned with our signature vial of our own dusty desert right off our land. It’s our way of welcoming you to the Dusty Desert Family.

Let’s say your best friend was visiting the area and you wanted to show them the best time ever. Where would you take them? Give us a little itinerary – say it was a week long trip, where would you eat, drink, visit, hang out, etc.
Being outdoorsy people, we would take them just down the road to Turkey Creek where there’s flowing water from the monsoon season well into winter and a stop at Johnny Ringo’s grave or to the Chiricahua Mountains for some unexpectedly gorgeous hiking, views, and star gazing.

We would take them to Tombstone for a day of Wild West fun, a burger at Big Nose Kate’s Saloon, a shootout show and a stage coach ride full of local history.

We would take them to Willcox to Tirrito Farm. They’re a brand-new full-service destination location. They have their own dairy, providing milk to local businesses. They have their own in-house brewery, restaurant and farm store where our hats are currently on display. A beautiful outdoor dining area with the perfect sunset watching view and they’re event ready.

We would take them to Source of Coffee, the coolest coffee shop, in a renovated historical house, with a mid-century vibe. On Thursday’s they host the local farmer’s market. They also serve their coffee at Bear’s Auction House where you can find some of the most unique finds!

For the best Mexican food we’ve ever had, we would venture into Benson to Mi Casa’s. Located in a tiny old house with a bright blue exterior and hand painted murals. The food, is all made from scratch the day of and each dish is a work of art. Andy the owner and head server has become a great friend to us and most of the community.

Shoutout is all about shouting out others who you feel deserve additional recognition and exposure. Who would you like to shoutout?
I would love to dedicate this to my wife of almost 15 years. We’re a team in everything that we do. She’s encouraged me to pursue every dream I’ve ever had, she’s my support, and didn’t run away screaming when I said we were going to build our own home. She picked up the power tools, dug the trenches, and got down to work right there with me. She is the love of my life and best friend and none of this would be possible without her by my side.

Website: www.etsy.com/shop/dustydeserthatco

Instagram: @dustydesert.hat.co

Image Credits
Teresa Elliott