Our Story

The “ArkanHOG™” — well, it’s a “state” of mind.

Hey y’all — I’m Elizabeth.

A few years ago, I got that call.

You know the one. The call from HR that basically says, “Thanks for your service. You’re in the first round of layoffs. Best of luck.”

I hung up the phone and thought, Well… what in the world?!

And then something strange happened.

I felt lighter.

My twenty-five years in the corporate world were over. I had three kids, two of them in college, no job, no money coming in — and I was absolutely bursting with joy.

Make it make sense.

So… now what?

For several years, I had been looking for a creative outlet. Something fun. Something that would take a little of the weight of corporate life off my shoulders.

But I never really had the time to figure out what that might be.

Then I got laid off.

Suddenly, I had plenty of time.

So I started looking for a business to buy. I came across a t-shirt printing business for sale here in Arkansas and thought, Well, this could be fun.

That deal didn’t work out.

So I decided to start from scratch.

And when I say scratch, I mean scratch.

I knew nothing about fabrics, inks, pressure, or temperature settings — and no idea why every material apparently has its own set of rules. I had never used Adobe Illustrator or Photoshop.

I was green. Very green.

But I jumped in anyway.

I started learning. Then learning some more. I met people, asked a ridiculous number of questions, figured things out the hard way, and slowly built a custom screen printing and embroidery business, with a limited number of promotional products along the way.

That business became Elizabeth Gunn & Co.

And then one day, I was doodling.

I wanted to come up with a fun, slightly edgy way to draw the state of Arkansas and put it on a t-shirt.

About an hour later, I looked at what I had drawn and thought…

Well, that kind of looks like a hog.

And that was it.

I knew I was onto something.

I spent quite a bit of time tweaking the shape until I landed on what you see today.

And the name wasn’t some carefully crafted branding exercise, either.

I just called it ArkanHOG™ because it looked like Arkansas and it looked like a hog.

Sometimes you just know.

So what exactly is an ArkanHOG™?

The ArkanHOG™ is all of us. And all things Arkansas.

It’s a little symbol of something we all share — no matter where in this state you call home.

The Ozarks. The Delta. The rivers. The small towns. The big towns. The places you grew up, the places you found later, and the people who make Arkansas feel like home.

And I love the idea that you can be walking down the street, see someone else wearing an ArkanHOG™, and have that little moment of recognition.

Maybe you smile.

Maybe you wave.

Maybe you give a quick nod.

Because for just a second, you know you’re part of the same thing.

That’s what I want ArkanHOG™ to be.

Something that brings people together without having to say much at all.

Designed in Fayetteville. By somebody who lives here.

Every ArkanHOG™ design starts right here in my shop in Fayetteville.

The embroidery. The patches. The details I probably fuss over longer than necessary.

That’s me.

And when it came time to make hats, I went straight to Outdoor Cap, an Arkansas-based hat company. I’ve worked with them since the day ArkanHOG™ launched.

When you can work with good people in your own state who know exactly what they’re doing, that’s an easy decision.

And they’re just really good people.

Our ArkanHOG™ hats landed on the shelves at The Stadium Shoppe on Razorback Road here in Fayetteville. Robert and Elizabeth Mann, who own the shop, have been wonderful to work with. I’m grateful to know them — and even more grateful that they saw something special in ArkanHOG™.

Somebody else noticed, too.

The Arkansas Small Business and Technology Development Center featured ArkanHOG™ and the story behind it. If you want the longer version of how all this started, they told it well.

Read the ASBTDC feature on ArkanHOG™ Apparel →

What can you count on from ArkanHOG™ Apparel?

Premium quality. Real customer service. Classic styles. Fun and a little laughter.

I’m not trying to be the cheapest thing on the block. Quality tends to get lost when that’s the goal.

I’m not trying to be the most expensive, either.

I just want you to get something you’ll actually want to wear — and feel good about being part of what we’re building.

Because ArkanHOG™ isn’t really about a t-shirt or a hat.

It’s about all of us.

It’s about building something bigger than any one person, and making sure there’s room for everybody.

And honestly, I think we could all use a little more fun these days.

So let’s wear it.

And share it.

Arkansas has a way of finding you.

Some of us were born here.

Some of us came for a weekend and never left.

Some of us left and eventually found our way back.

However you got here, if Arkansas is home, you know.

Arkansas born. Arkansas proud.

And if you happen to see another ArkanHOG™ out there?

Give ’em a wave.

You know the drill.