About Us
Making sun protection as cool as you are.
Here's to the sun-chasers. The explorers. The adventurers. The ones who stand out, and soak up every ounce of the good stuff. The sun seekers who see the world in full color and don't do ordinary.
They're just as much the ones who take it slow. Sandcastles with the kids. The garden before the heat sets in. One more chapter than they meant to read. A good day doesn't have to be a big one to count.
At Hemlock, shade is the look, not the sacrifice. We build for the ones chasing the next thing and the ones savoring this one, because life's better under the brim.
So here's to finding your shade, however you find it.
STAY SHADY®.
SUN SAFETY COMMITMENT
We hold a seat on the American Cancer Society's San Diego Executive Board. Not a badge: an actual working partnership toward cancer prevention.
Most Hemlock products are UPF 50+ rated. Sun protection isn't something you have to remember to apply. It's already part of what you’re wearing.
74% of our customers tell us skin cancer prevention matters to them. We built the company around that belief before we ever put a number to it.
It’s not an accessory here. It's a health decision we've made easy.
The Hemlock Journey
Hemlock began in 2016 in La Jolla, California, founded by husband and wife Anthony and Lauren Lora. Anthony had spent a lifetime under the Southern California sun, and he was tired of sun protection that couldn't keep up: hats that faded, fell apart, or just weren't good enough to actually wear. So together, they set out to build something better. Hemlock was born.
What started a garage born idea, a lifeguard hat, reimagined as a canvas for creativity and shade. Bold prints. Real protection. Built to last.
That one hat has since grown into a full collection for everyday life — straw hats, packable styles, ball caps, visors, kids' sizes and many still woven by hand. Through all of it, our values haven't moved: sun protection, quality, and style. Always evolving, never compromising.
In 2021, our founders welcomed their first child, and it changed how we thought about product from the ground up — especially when it came to protecting our own kids' skin. Sun safety was becoming personal in more ways than one. A few years later, Lauren met the American Cancer Society's local team while working a fundraiser together, and found a shared belief in the cause. We were asked to help build out ACS's board in San Diego, and we've been part of it ever since — a commitment to sun safety that goes beyond the products we sell.
Thank you for being part of our journey. We're honored to be part of yours.
Stay Shady.®
