More than $65,000 already sold

Courtesy of Fathead Threads

When you call Fathead Threads, a Tennessee-based embroidery and clothing brand, a deep Southern accent appears on the voicemail: “If you’re looking for Hawk Tuah hats, go to Facebook,” the voice says. The owner of the voice is Jason Poteete, who currently occupies the bizarre position of brand manager for one of the most famous women in the country today: a popular young blonde woman who advocates expectoration during sex oral.

The now immortal phrase “Hawk Tuah” was coined by Hailey Welch, a young woman who, on June 11, made Internet history during an interview with content creators Tim & Dee TV. In the clip, Welch is asked R-rated questions about his favorite sex positions, as well as a “move in bed (that) drives a man crazy every time.” When asked this last question, she offers the following: “You gotta give them that ‘hawk tuah’ and spit on that thing.”

Over the past week, the clip has gone massively viral and has been referenced by everyone from Joe Rogan to Howard Stern to the Phillies’ Bryce Harper. And while there are plenty of Hawk Tuah-themed merch floating around the internet – including Tim & Dee’s store itself – there’s only one Hawk Tuah merch seller officially licensed by Hawk Tuah Girl: Fathead Threads, a family-owned business based in Marshall County, Tennessee.

The brand is run by Poteete, a Marshall County native who has known Welch for years. He says Rolling stone that a day or two after the video started going viral, he contacted a stunned Welch to find a way to monetize his brand.

“Of course, she didn’t get a cent from the first viral video released,” Poteete says. “No one asked him for permission to do nothing either. I just wanted her to make a profit from this deal. Poteete declined to share exactly what percentage of profits Welch receives, but said he suggested she trademark the sentence and that she has been in contact with an attorney about it. He also says she is currently represented by an agent, although rumors that she signed with Hollywood powerhouse UTA turned out to be unfounded.

Poteete said Welch, who did not respond to rolling stoneupon her request for an interview, is “overwhelmed” by the attention and asked her not to share personal details about herself or feature her face on merchandise. “There are crazy people in the world who have contacted her,” he said. “She’s probably one of the most famous people in the world right now. But I don’t know if she adopted it.

So far, Poteete says, Fathead Threads is exclusively selling “Hawk Tuah ’24” caps, which currently come in 14 colors and sell for $32.78 each. (A $50 signed version with a leather patch is currently out of stock.) It’s garnered interest from everyone from major media networks to the WWE. Poteete estimates the shop has sold just over 2,000 caps so far; though he declined to say exactly how much the company has made from its products, he says it’s “pretty easy to do the math.” (For what it’s worth, given that the cheapest cap costs $32.78, that’s at least $65,000.)

“Our biggest orders are usually for 100 hats, maybe 150 to 250 shirts. It’s very unusual for us,” he said. “It’s a small, family-run shop. We’re all hands on deck right now.

Despite Welch’s current discomfort with the level of attention she’s receiving, Poteete hopes she’ll eventually settle into her new level of viral fame. “It could be a blessing or a curse,” he said. “She can be in the right place at the right time or in the wrong place at the wrong time. (But) I think she will do well in the end.

Poteete adds that she looks exactly like how she is depicted in the video. “She has a bubbly personality. It can be somewhat risky. You never know what she’s going to say,” he says. “I just think the world needed some laughter, and she provided it.”