Hat makers

[graybeard1975]

Can someone point me in the right direction for hat makers in the United States. Thanks.

 

[BobHufford]

Not sure how up to date this is.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...-fur-felt-fedora-hatmakers-and-hatters.77957/

 

[ILB Frank]

I will give a thumbs up to the following as I have had hats made by each of these hatters and their work is top notch (listed in the order that I acquired the hats):

Buckaroo Hatters
FL Page: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/buckaroo-hatters.31478/
Real FL Page: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/buckaroo-bonanza-the-hats-that-major-mike-moore-makes.34367/
Web: https://www.buckaroohatters.com/

Gannon Hat Company
FL Page: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/m-c-gannon-hat-company.83744/
Web: https://gannonhatcompany.com/

Wolfbrae Custom Hats
FL Page: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/wolfbrae-custom-hatters.103637/
I don't know if he has a webpage but he is on the lounge ( @belfastboy ) and is still active.

 

[graybeard1975]

Thanks for info. I’ll check them out.

 

[belfastboy]

I will give a thumbs up to the following as I have had hats made by each of these hatters and their work is top notch (listed in the order that I acquired the hats):

Buckaroo Hatters
FL Page: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/buckaroo-hatters.31478/
Real FL Page: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/buckaroo-bonanza-the-hats-that-major-mike-moore-makes.34367/
Web: https://www.buckaroohatters.com/

Gannon Hat Company
FL Page: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/m-c-gannon-hat-company.83744/
Web: https://gannonhatcompany.com/

Wolfbrae Custom Hats
FL Page: https://www.thefedoralounge.com/threads/wolfbrae-custom-hatters.103637/
I don't know if he has a webpage but he is on the lounge ( @belfastboy ) and is still active.

Thank you. I don't have a webpage but I have an Instagram site. @gaultrobert, wolfbrae custom.

 

[rogueclimber]

hat makers in the United States

@Darrell2688 -- Busted Hats

I've several of his hats, they are wonderful

 

[belfastboy]

Not sure how up to date this is.

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...-fur-felt-fedora-hatmakers-and-hatters.77957/

It is interesting reading this list from not so long ago and seeing how many of the hatters are no longer in the biz. The ones I know about have left for a wide variety of reasons but still the attrition rate is high. Then for all these established hatters there are probably 10+ who began with high hopes and dreams and found the hill to climb too steep and have dropped out early. It is a tough way to make a buck.

 

[jackadven]

I am starting my own business as a custom hatter in North State California. Though I imagine you would want to go with someone more experienced than myself, I'm only charging materials cost right now to get experience.

halstedfarm.com/hats

 

[belfastboy]

I am starting my own business as a custom hatter in North State California. Though I imagine you would want to go with someone more experienced than myself, I'm only charging materials cost right now to get experience.

halstedfarm.com/hats

I began by tearing down beater westerns and reverse engineering them. Then I moved up to family and friends. Once I had exhausted that tranche and a basketful of good reviews I was emboldened to hang out my shingle. It took about two years before I thought my work worthy of being introduced to a wider marketplace...other than the safe...friends and family. Being the lowest priced hat maker in the market is a valid marketing strategy.

 

[jackadven]

I began by tearing down beater westerns and reverse engineering them. Then I moved up to family and friends. Once I had exhausted that tranche and a basketful of good reviews I was emboldened to hang out my shingle. It took about two years before I thought my work worthy of being introduced to a wider marketplace...other than the safe...friends and family. Being the lowest priced hat maker in the market is a valid marketing strategy.

I sometimes wonder if I'm getting a little carried away, since I've been at this less than a year. But I was looking at the last hat I made, and it seems about as good as my Akubras (other than the sloppy liner), and I've been excitedly putting a website together and, well, I decided to just go ahead with it. I do think I've had a much easier start thanks to people like you. You had to learn it the hard way; I had your detailed step-by-step video course to go through.

 

[belfastboy]

I sometimes wonder if I'm getting a little carried away, since I've been at this less than a year. But I was looking at the last hat I made, and it seems about as good as my Akubras (other than the sloppy liner), and I've been excitedly putting a website together and, well, I decided to just go ahead with it. I do think I've had a much easier start thanks to people like you. You had to learn it the hard way; I had your detailed step-by-step video course to go through.

A good step is to find a friend, or anyone really, that knows good hats. Let him inspect one of your builds and ask him for true and honest feed back. Then you can approach the market place with your products with confidence if you get thumbs up.
There is a danger of taking your product into the market before the product is ready. Your competition is other custom hat makers not the mass produced, lower end offerings. Aim higher.

A great test is to ask yourself: why should a hat buyer buy one of my creations rather than off the shelf or from one of the other hundreds of hatters out in the marketplace? What makes me unique? What sets me apart?

The next hurdle is being able to nail the fit. If you don't nail the fit, it ain't a custom hat. Akubras in the world of hat people are hard wearing, good value, middle of the road quality hats. They are at the lower end of the price scale and represent good value for the money. They are not a good comparison for a quality custom hat.
I am glad you received value from the video.

 

[jackadven]

A good step is to find a friend, or anyone really, that knows good hats. Let him inspect one of your builds and ask him for true and honest feed back. Then you can approach the market place with your products with confidence if you get thumbs up. There is a danger of taking your product into the market before the product is ready. Your competition is other custom hat makers not the mass produced, lower end offerings. Aim higher.

A great test is to ask yourself: why should a hat buyer buy one of my creations rather than off the shelf or from one of the other hundreds of hatters out in the marketplace? What makes me unique? What sets me apart?

The next hurdle is being able to nail the fit. If you don't nail the fit, it ain't a custom hat. Akubras in the world of hat people are hard wearing, good value, middle of the road quality hats. They are at the lower end of the price scale and represent good value for the money. They are not a good comparison for a quality custom hat.
I am glad you received value from the video.

I have no idea where I would do that, honestly. I suppose I could post here and ask if anyone is in my area? Where does one find a hat expert? If I took detailed pictures from every conceivable angle and posted them, would that suffice? Maybe I could make and send someone a free hat for review.

Yeah, you're right, I don't want to show up on the market with a poor product. I think I have something very decent to start with. And if I make something subpar, I'll do it over at my own expense before I sell a customer a bad or ill-fitting hat. I come fresh from the public education system which does not support a craftsman's mentality of taking the time to do it over until I get it right. But I'm striving to do that here. I hate it sometimes, but I love it more. There's something satisfying about it.

So, from searching online, as far as I know I am the only hatter in my entire area. And what I primarily want to do is sell to my local community, to the reenacters at the events I go to where I am working towards portraying an 1860s hatter. Let's say my hats and price were on par with Akubra, and they fitted really well. (Like you say, this is critical, but I think that part is going well for me. I get the sweatband just right, make the felt fit that, and I'm working on being able to impart head shape as well.) Well that seems like a pretty good start. I can make an Akubra, but I can do it custom. And currently for a lot cheaper than a real Akubra.

And from there I can grow into making high-end custom hats when my skill advances to that point. Learn to make historical hats not just in style, but with period non-reeded sweatbands, etc. I don't know if this really a thorough enough Who Am I? (24601!) You wrote in an article about knowing what kind of hat you want to make, who you are as a hatter. Well, I want to make Civil War hats, and then just whatever some local person wants, really.

Your further thoughts on my exposition here are appreciated.

 

[belfastboy]

I have no idea where I would do that, honestly. I suppose I could post here and ask if anyone is in my area? Where does one find a hat expert? If I took detailed pictures from every conceivable angle and posted them, would that suffice? Maybe I could make and send someone a free hat for review.

Yeah, you're right, I don't want to show up on the market with a poor product. I think I have something very decent to start with. And if I make something subpar, I'll do it over at my own expense before I sell a customer a bad or ill-fitting hat. I come fresh from the public education system which does not support a craftsman's mentality of taking the time to do it over until I get it right. But I'm striving to do that here. I hate it sometimes, but I love it more. There's something satisfying about it.

So, from searching online, as far as I know I am the only hatter in my entire area. And what I primarily want to do is sell to my local community, to the reenacters at the events I go to where I am working towards portraying an 1860s hatter. Let's say my hats and price were on par with Akubra, and they fitted really well. (Like you say, this is critical, but I think that part is going well for me. I get the sweatband just right, make the felt fit that, and I'm working on being able to impart head shape as well.) Well that seems like a pretty good start. I can make an Akubra, but I can do it custom. And currently for a lot cheaper than a real Akubra.

And from there I can grow into making high-end custom hats when my skill advances to that point. Learn to make historical hats not just in style, but with period non-reeded sweatbands, etc. I don't know if this really a thorough enough Who Am I? (24601!) You wrote in an article about knowing what kind of hat you want to make, who you are as a hatter. Well, I want to make Civil War hats, and then just whatever some local person wants, really.

Your further thoughts on my exposition here are appreciated.

That is a great start. You have a narrow, niche market that you will pursue and that is a great start. Knowing who you want to be as a hatter is critical and you have identified your lane.

I was making hats full time and it wasn't until my 4th year I began to take money out of the company. Up to that point, every nickel of revenue was poured back in for equipment and supplies. It is a capital intensive business and a true craft as there are very few efficiencies to be found unless you invest another $50K to $100K in machinery.

I live in a large metro area, 2-3 million people and have had great exposure via print media (when it existed) and TV. If I had to rely on local business I would not have lasted past my first year. Online is and was the mainstay of my business. There are just not enough hat wearers to sustain a business.......and I price myself at the lowest end of the custom market, not much higher than an off the shelf Stetson.
I think I had a leg up as I am a hat collector for many many years. My collection consists of vintage, contemporary off the shelf, and about 40 custom hats from a wide selection of makers. Knowing what a great custom hat looks and feels like is a huge bonus as then you have a knowable standard to which you can work towards.
My first big break was selling a hat to a collector here in the Lounge.

He gave me a great review and instant bona fides. My cred was established as well as my confidence boosted. Hatting is at its core a simple procedure but as in so many things in life.....the tell is in the fine details and they are hard to spot by photo. Also, learning to nail the fit is absolutely critical. Perhaps even more so for a reenactor's hat. The hat will be put through it's paces and will need to stay on the head through rough activity and all manner of weather. That is the challenge that hatters that work the working cowboy market. That hat has to fit.....well enough to stay on the head but not so tight as it causes headaches. It is a bit of a dark art in the craft of hatting.

 

[jlee562]

I have no idea where I would do that, honestly. I suppose I could post here and ask if anyone is in my area? Where does one find a hat expert? If I took detailed pictures from every conceivable angle and posted them, would that suffice? Maybe I could make and send someone a free hat for review.

Yeah, you're right, I don't want to show up on the market with a poor product. I think I have something very decent to start with. And if I make something subpar, I'll do it over at my own expense before I sell a customer a bad or ill-fitting hat. I come fresh from the public education system which does not support a craftsman's mentality of taking the time to do it over until I get it right. But I'm striving to do that here. I hate it sometimes, but I love it more. There's something satisfying about it.

So, from searching online, as far as I know I am the only hatter in my entire area. And what I primarily want to do is sell to my local community, to the reenacters at the events I go to where I am working towards portraying an 1860s hatter. Let's say my hats and price were on par with Akubra, and they fitted really well. (Like you say, this is critical, but I think that part is going well for me. I get the sweatband just right, make the felt fit that, and I'm working on being able to impart head shape as well.) Well that seems like a pretty good start. I can make an Akubra, but I can do it custom. And currently for a lot cheaper than a real Akubra.

And from there I can grow into making high-end custom hats when my skill advances to that point. Learn to make historical hats not just in style, but with period non-reeded sweatbands, etc. I don't know if this really a thorough enough Who Am I? (24601!) You wrote in an article about knowing what kind of hat you want to make, who you are as a hatter. Well, I want to make Civil War hats, and then just whatever some local person wants, really.

Your further thoughts on my exposition here are appreciated.

You may want to hold your cards close to your chest, so to speak. When building my own personal hats, I decided to use NOS Japanese textiles for my liners, to connect my specific cultural heritage to my designs. I've customized my trucker jackets in a similar fashion.

Then another hatter plagiarized this idea after I shared mine to the lounge. Any guesses?

 

[RickP]

I have no idea where I would do that, honestly. I suppose I could post here and ask if anyone is in my area? Where does one find a hat expert? If I took detailed pictures from every conceivable angle and posted them, would that suffice? Maybe I could make and send someone a free hat for review.

Yeah, you're right, I don't want to show up on the market with a poor product. I think I have something very decent to start with. And if I make something subpar, I'll do it over at my own expense before I sell a customer a bad or ill-fitting hat. I come fresh from the public education system which does not support a craftsman's mentality of taking the time to do it over until I get it right. But I'm striving to do that here. I hate it sometimes, but I love it more. There's something satisfying about it.

So, from searching online, as far as I know I am the only hatter in my entire area. And what I primarily want to do is sell to my local community, to the reenacters at the events I go to where I am working towards portraying an 1860s hatter. Let's say my hats and price were on par with Akubra, and they fitted really well. (Like you say, this is critical, but I think that part is going well for me. I get the sweatband just right, make the felt fit that, and I'm working on being able to impart head shape as well.) Well that seems like a pretty good start. I can make an Akubra, but I can do it custom. And currently for a lot cheaper than a real Akubra.

And from there I can grow into making high-end custom hats when my skill advances to that point. Learn to make historical hats not just in style, but with period non-reeded sweatbands, etc. I don't know if this really a thorough enough Who Am I? (24601!) You wrote in an article about knowing what kind of hat you want to make, who you are as a hatter. Well, I want to make Civil War hats, and then just whatever some local person wants, really.

Your further thoughts on my exposition here are appreciated.

Best wishes on your journey! I do some restoration and rehab on old hats, but Im FAR from being a custom hatter. Ive made two from scratch... they turned out nicely, but it was a lot of work. Ive accumilated enough good hatblocks and brim blocks to get buy with. Also have built a couple crown blocks and a couple different brim boards and brim presses. I know just enough to really appreciate a good competant hatter. Dont be afraid to reach out and ask specific questions here, lots of knowlegable folks here

 

[belfastboy]

You may want to hold your cards close to your chest, so to speak. When building my own personal hats, I decided to use NOS Japanese textiles for my liners, to connect my specific cultural heritage to my designs. I've customized my trucker jackets in a similar fashion.

Then another hatter plagiarized this idea after I shared mine to the lounge. Any guesses?

If that were true then you should feel flattered.

 

[jlee562]

If that were true then you should feel flattered.

Where's the lie?

I've had this in my back pocket long before I posted here, ask Bob at BSHW. We talked about it in 2018, well before you were making hats.

It strains credulity that you, whose whole online identity is "I'm Irish!", independently arrived at the idea completely coincidentally after I posted. Particularly as you mistakenly called the fabric "tsumogi." Dunning-Kruger slip of the tongue.

Would you copy Art's bows? If not, please explain how this is any less of a design choice. Use your own ideas.

 

[belfastboy]

Where's the lie?

I've had this in my back pocket long before I posted here, ask Bob at BSHW. We talked about it in 2018, well before you were making hats.

It strains credulity that you, whose whole online identity is "I'm Irish!", independently arrived at the idea completely coincidentally after I posted. Particularly as you mistakenly called the fabric "tsumogi." Dunning-Kruger slip of the tongue.

Would you copy Art's bows? If not, please explain how this is any less of a design choice. Use your own ideas.

Wow, and you have been carrying this for all these years. AND you should be flattered. You could always get your lawyer to send me a "cease and desist" order ala Nick Fouquette.

 

[jlee562]

Wow, and you have been carrying this for all these years. AND you should be flattered. You could always get your lawyer to send me a "cease and desist" order ala Nick Fouquette.

My guy, I already made that joke. So that's another thing I posted first that you didn't come up with.

....I shoulda trademarked that one like the match stick.

It's not as if hat liners have traditionally been one way for manufacturers to distinguish themselves...

I would be flattered if a hatter had said "hey, that's a cool idea." I would be flattered if someone said they were inspired by mine and did their own iteration. Like say, using textiles that reflected their heritage. I would be flattered if someone DMed me to say "hey, would you mind if I tried using that too?" Plagiarism after all, is defined by a lack of attribution, not merely the use of another's idea.

I am not flattered by culture vultures. People who trade on iconography/symbology/aesthetics to which they have no relation or connection, for a commercial profit.

I am frankly not surprised that the guy whose sense of business 'ethics' leads him to believe it's ok to go around "warning" people about the alleged shrinking of Randal Alan blocks despite the crucial fact that you never experienced any such thing yourself, only to turn around and promote your buddy's blocks; yes, makes sense that kind of person it's a-ok to copy another hat maker's aesthetic design choices.

 

[belfastboy]

My guy, I already made that joke. So that's another thing I posted first that you didn't come up with.



It's not as if hat liners have traditionally been one way for manufacturers to distinguish themselves...

I would be flattered if a hatter had said "hey, that's a cool idea." I would be flattered if someone said they were inspired by mine and did their own iteration. Like say, using textiles that reflected their heritage. I would be flattered if someone DMed me to say "hey, would you mind if I tried using that too?" Plagiarism after all, is defined by a lack of attribution, not merely the use of another's idea.

I am not flattered by culture vultures. People who trade on iconography/symbology/aesthetics to which they have no relation or connection, for a commercial profit.

I am frankly not surprised that the guy whose sense of business 'ethics' leads him to believe it's ok to go around "warning" people about the alleged shrinking of Randal Alan blocks despite the crucial fact that you never experienced any such thing yourself, only to turn around and promote your buddy's blocks; yes, makes sense that kind of person it's a-ok to copy another hat maker's aesthetic design choices.

Bro, I have had 3 interactions with you over the years. In each of them you are incredibly angry about some perceived grievance. Ya might want to have that looked at. Ain't healthy to walk around jazzed all the time.