The Zwingli Haus Story

Hello there —

Have you ever sat in the front seat of your truck, map unfolded across your lap, trying to figure out if that forest road leads somewhere, or if it’s just another one of those “it looked good on Google Earth” situations? Maybe there’s a cooler rattling in the back and the radio doesn’t work, but the silence feels perfect.

That’s the pace we’re going for here.

My name’s Blake Swingle, and this is Zwingli Haus. I’m not sure what this space will become yet, but here’s what I do know, Zwingli Haus started with a simple idea: to create something that felt real. Something that echoed unhurried, hands-on, and built to last.

My love for travel didn’t really kick in until after high school. I was living solo for the first time in Troy, Ohio, while attending welding school, not exactly a travel destination, but it gave me my first taste of independence. From there, I moved to Austin, Texas. It was a short stint, but the itch to explore kept growing, and Austin gave me more than tacos and good music, it gave me momentum. 

Then came Montana.

I’d spent some time up north with photographer Alex Strohl and had friends living in the area, and something about that place called to me in a way I couldn’t ignore. I’d just bought a truck, loaded it up with gear, hitched a trailer, and pointed it west. Welding job by weekday, mountain rambler by weekend. Friday at 5 p.m., I’d be gone, deep into the wild, chasing the kinds of places I’d only seen in magazines growing up in Ohio. As someone who didn’t travel much as a kid, it was like stepping into someone else’s dream and realizing it was your own.

But as the landscapes grew bigger, so did something else: a sense that welding alone wasn’t going to cut it. I craved something more creative, something that blended my hands-on work ethic with storytelling and vision. Around that time, my dad and I started tossing around the idea of building something together. A brand. A business. Something meaningful.

The name Zwingli originates from my family’s roots, an old spelling of our last name before we immigrated to the United States. It sat tucked away for a while, a remarkable discovery made during some family genealogy research. But when my dad and I started dreaming about building something together, a business, a brand, a way to work side by side, it resurfaced. Zwingli just felt right. Heritage. Story. Strength.

We didn’t jump in right away. The idea took its time, the way good things sometimes do. And then, life hit hard: my dad was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia. Fourteen months later, he was gone. I could’ve left the name where it was. However, it became a calling instead.

Zwingli Haus is about doing things the analog way, not to be trendy or contrarian, but because there’s something sacred about slowing down and pulling out a paper map instead of watching a blue dot blink on a screen. About shooting a roll of film and waiting to see how it turns out. About making something with your hands and wearing a damn good hat while you do it.

Right now, I’m full steam ahead on hat production, and the website’s in the works. This thing is still in its early days, but the wheels are turning, and they’re not stopping anytime soon.

So whether you’re here because you believe in thoughtful design, meaningful adventure, or want a hat that doesn’t feel like it came from a giveaway bin, welcome. You’re in the right place.

Cheers,

Blake