The word cognition derives from Middle English and means literally "to come to know." In the case of local cycling couple Lyle Hansen and Kelly Petersen, knowledge has many levels - knowing each other and the sport of cycling. Cognition is also the name of the couple's increasingly high-profile online hat store.
The globally popular e-biz was initially meant just as a way to reach out to family and friends. "A lot of our friends work really hard and don't have huge disposable incomes," Petersen says, referring to the high prices of most cycling gear, "so we wanted to make hats that are accessible for everyone."
With a price tag of $20 (and only a few bucks extra for embellishments like embroidery and ear flaps), the close-fitting, small-brimmed caps look good on any head, and they're just as much for going out on the town as tooling around on a bike (erm, under your helmet, of course).
The duo collects unique fabrics online and from secondhand stores, although Cognition fans are welcome to use their own (one Scottish man even sent over his family tartan). Hipsters can have their houndstooth, old men their corduroy, and those desperate for spring have a variety of bright patterns from which to choose.
After wondering for a while about the division of labor, I finally got the nerve to ask who did all the sewing. Petersen was the first to confess that she does it all - by choice. "But Lyle does all of the embroidery," she adds. "He won't even teach me how to use the machine."
Cognition
Available online at wearcognition.com and locally at MoCo Market and Revolution Cycles.
