The fashion cosmos seemed to have shifted recently. Coming off of remote working wardrobes comprised of sweatpants and t-shirts, we’re noticing a lot of hats on the heads of those that have started to venture back out into the world.
We’re not talking about knit beanies and baseball caps hiding uncut hair – we are seeing REAL hats! Structured hats. Hats with crisp crown creases and brims perfectly bent – or not bent at all. Hats like the ones worn in old movies where Stewart, Grant, Peck, and Bogart graced the screen in custom-tailored pants and an equally elegant custom-tailored hat.
This wardrobe trend makes us custom hatters very happy!
Whether it’s a stingy or wide brim…flat or curved…muted or bright colored…creased or open crown, a hat makes any outfit more interesting and compelling. And, that’s a fact whether you’re a woman or a man.
It seems that there are just about as many bespoke hatters making these creations as there are options for “uniquely yours” headwear. In a new book by Mark Elliot, “The Brim and The Crown, A Field Guide to Custom Hatters & Hat Shops in the US and Abroad” (available on Amazon), the author lists hundreds of hatters worldwide, and that number is continuing to grow. As folks yearn to get back to the basics of customer service and away from the big box sellers, shops like the butchers, the bakers, and the candlestick makers of a bygone era are making a comeback; and custom hatters fit right into that new, more personalized and specialized business model.
Additionally, there appears to be a trend to cancel the culture of the “throwaway” generation. People are recycling, repurposing, and looking for wares that are generational in nature. Good quality custom-made hats can fulfill that “keep it forever and always, then pass it down to the next in line.”
It only makes sense that if the buying public will pay the elevated price for a “custom-designed” cup of joe, they would opt for a quality, well-made hat that fits them perfectly – both their precise head size and shape, as well as a one-of-a-kind design that expresses both their individual character and personal style.
Many hatters are known for taking old hats and making them new again. Others in this artisan industry buy hat bodies and put their own spin on the decorations; often distressing the look to make those newly purchased hat bodies look aged. You can find a myriad of traditional hatters out there. Those that buy pre-manufactured hat bodies then stretch, steam and mold them into the shapes that their customers have commissioned.
There are even a few purists that specialize in hats made entirely by hand from sustainable, animal-friendly, non-traditional fibers. Some of these even go a step further and use only materials that they obtain from herds raised on their own land. These hatters are a rare breed indeed since the making of these unique lids requires hours or even weeks of time, months of caring for the animals, and high startup costs in terms of their initial livestock, equipment, and experimentation. These are the true artists – usually creating custom products for the love and passion of their craft, not the money.
Millinery explorers like pacahat.com take pride in their self-taught “field to fashion” non-traditional hat-making processes. Deb Culig, alpaca rancher and the co-owner of the Silver Spur Ranch in Tabernash, Colorado says, “We only make 100% handmade alpaca fiber hats. That’s all. No fiber or fur blends. And our fibers are obtained “cruelty-free” (although she laughs and says the alpaca really don’t enjoy being sheared all that much!). “We feel that it’s true sustainability when we grow the hay that feeds our animals. They, in turn, produce the fiber throughout the fall and winter that we use in our hats the next year. Their fiber has a purpose over and above being a material for our hats; it keeps them warm in the cold weather months. In the spring, that fiber is sheared off so that the animals are comfortable in the hot weather…and that process starts all over again the next year.“
“Saying that you buy fur felt hat bodies from animals farmed for their fur is not sustainability. Just because you buy a highly processed and machine-manufactured end-product of the fur industry doesn’t make it an ethical or environmentally sound practice.”
She goes on to say, “Handmade” is also a subjective term these days. From what point is it actually made by hand? It’s like baking a cake from a boxed mix…is that really made from scratch? When you’re talking about a custom, handmade hat and paying the price for that distinction, it makes sense to understand what you’re purchasing by fully understanding how that final product is being produced – start to finish.”
So why have these custom hats had a resurgence recently?
Maybe after the anonymity mask-wearing provided, we are trying to show our individuality.
Perhaps it’s a by-product of people binge-watching old movies while working remotely.
After the last few years of a seemingly endless abyss of variants, vaccinations, warnings, and closures, it may have seemed like we will never get back to normal life and move forward.
But we’re here to say that brighter and more fashion conscience days are ahead and it seems that you can now rest assured that the sky is not falling – but just in case anything does float down from the heavens, a quality custom hat will surely have you covered.