For most entrepreneurs, seeing a product worn by a celebrity is a dream, and for SpurWest founders Kipp Smith and Michael French, it happened while shopping for chicken feed.
The two were walking through a Tractor Supply store when they spotted Miranda Lambert's newly released album Postcards From Texas on display. Curious, they stopped to take a closer look. What happened next left them speechless.
"Our jaws dropped," recalls Smith. "Our Mini Belt Buckle Ring was on Miranda's hand on the album cover. We knew Miranda's team had a few of our pieces, but were shocked one debuted on her album cover.”
For a brand that only launched its now-signature jewelry collection in 2023, the moment served as a powerful reminder of just how far SpurWest had come—and how quickly.
Today, the Chattanooga-based company is one of the most popular names in Western-inspired jewelry, with products worn by artists including Miranda Lambert, Lainey Wilson, Orville Peck, Dasha, Tanner Adell, and Restless Road. Their pieces have appeared in music videos, documentaries, and major entertainment projects, while the brand itself has expanded into more than 200 retail locations worldwide.
Yet the story began in a much simpler place: a horse trailer parked beside rodeo arenas.
Smith grew up on a rural Georgia farm where horses, hay fields, and hard work were part of everyday life. A lifelong barrel racer and artist, he started SpurWest by selling graphic T-shirts and hoodies at rodeos to help fund his passion for horses.
"I competed during the day and sold shirts at night," Smith says. "Going to weekend shows with friends was my childhood."
What started as a side hustle eventually became a full-time business. Then, after years of collecting championship belt buckles from competitions, inspiration struck.
"I had a few winning belt buckles on the shelf collecting dust and thought, 'What if I turned these into jewelry?'"
Around the same time, Smith met Michael French, a designer with experience creating watches and jewelry for major fashion brands and a childhood love of horses of his own. Together, they began sketching ideas that would transform one of the most recognizable symbols of Western culture into something entirely new.
The result was the Original Mini Belt Buckle Collection.
Part nostalgic keepsake, part modern fashion statement, the collection offered a fresh interpretation of Western heritage. Customers immediately connected with it.
Then, as is often the case, social media took over. In early 2024, a SpurWest video went viral, generating millions of views and creating overnight demand that neither founder could have anticipated.
"The company really did blow up overnight," says French. "Our lives changed at that moment. Family and friends were coming over to help pack orders, and Kipp and I were working around the clock, giving up nights and weekends to keep up and pursue this dream."
The viral moment didn't just create sales. It introduced SpurWest to a broader audience, including celebrity stylists and artists who quickly embraced the brand.
"We were so excited when country music stars and stylists started wearing SpurWest," Smith says. "To have a genuinely new jewelry concept come to life in such a big way has been humbling."
That enthusiasm has only continued to grow.
SpurWest's pieces have become particularly popular among artists helping shape today's modern Western movement, a cultural shift that blends heritage, fashion, music, and lifestyle in fresh ways.
According to Smith, the connection stems from authenticity.
"The Mini Belt Buckle Necklace came from a pure place," he says. "Many of the artists we've worked with started their careers from real experiences and humble beginnings. I think our pieces carry that same sentiment."
There's also something universally recognizable about the designs. "They see it and say, 'It's a little belt buckle!' and suddenly all of those memories tied to belt buckles come rushing back."
While celebrity exposure has accelerated the brand's growth, the founders believe the broader appeal lies in a growing appreciation for authenticity. "Western style has really taken hold in fashion over the past few years," says French. "People all over the world have become drawn to an authentic, hardworking way of life, mixed with the romantic side of it—living well, honestly, and staying connected to something real."
That sentiment helps explain why SpurWest now ships products around the globe. What began as a small Western brand has evolved into an international business with retailers across the United Kingdom, Australia, Spain, and beyond.
Still, despite the rapid growth, both founders remain focused on creativity and storytelling rather than chasing trends.
"We're not trying to replace traditional Western symbols," Smith says. "We look at them in a new way to bring them to a current audience."
Many of those ideas still emerge in surprisingly familiar places: long drives to events, conversations between friends, and walks around the Georgia farm where Smith grew up.
For French, the whirlwind success has reinforced an important lesson about entrepreneurship.
"Those stressful moments taught us more about ourselves than anything else," he says. "Building SpurWest has taught us to live more authentically, make genuine connections, and live with more purpose than ever before."
Not bad for a company that once started with a T-shirt press, a horse trailer, and a dream.
Today, SpurWest sits at the intersection of Western heritage and modern culture, proving that sometimes the most successful ideas aren't invented in boardrooms. Sometimes they begin with a dusty belt buckle, a sketchbook, and two dreamers willing to take a chance on something different.
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