- Hats are custom-shaped and sized at London's Lock & Co., the oldest hat shop in the world.
- Nasser Abd El-Baset is one of the only fez makers left in Cairo, at his 130-year-old shop.
- Flint & Port Hat Co. makes hats from traditional material, beaver-fur felt, in Bainbridge, Georgia.
Meline: Most hat stores don't do custom shaping and sizing, but at Lock & Co., the oldest hat shop in the world, every head is measured before a hat is made. After taking an initial measurement with a tape measure, customers are fitted with a device called a conformator. This one is 150 years old. A piece of paper is inserted into the conformator, and the hatmaker locks the top part in place. The conformator punches dots in the paper that outline the exact head shape. The paper is used to calibrate the other sizing tool, the formillion, whose wooden keys are adjusted to match the cutout. The hatmaker then puts this inside the hat. The hats are softened using steam and a brush, and the hatter makes adjustments so the hat matches the shape of the wearer's head. The formillion is removed, and the hat is given to the client for a final fitting.
For over 40 years, Nasser Abd El-Baset has been crafting custom fezzes on the Old Cairo street of al-Ghoureya. The first step is to build the structure of the hat. Nasser uses woven straw to craft the base. He then sprays it with water to make it more malleable. To get the right shape, he uses these copper molds that are more than six centuries old. The inside is then lined with green or blue silk, and the signature red felt is shaped. It takes Nasser approximately five minutes to shape the felt based on the shape of the head he sees. The felt is shaped by a heated compressor, and the work must be done quickly. It requires constant monitoring to ensure the fabric does not burn, as temperatures reach up to 350 degrees Fahrenheit. Nasser glues the felt and straw together and then hands the hat off to his son Muhammad for finishing. Muhammad adds colored tassels, used to signify different professions, and the hat's complete.
Panama hats are hand-woven from straw, a process that takes an entire day. A weaver starts by stripping down straw harvested from a toquilla palm plant. It takes seven stalks to make one hat. Weavers use their fingernails to split each piece one by one to ensure the pieces end up an even width. They keep the straw wet, so it doesn't crack. This process takes 10 to 30 minutes. To finish the hat, another artist tightens the stitches and then trims the excess straw. Glue is then applied to give the hat flexibility. Panama hats are known to be malleable and durable. After molding and ironing, machines take over to press the hat into its final shape. The signature black band is the finishing touch.
Flint and Port Hat Co. creates custom Southern-inspired hats made from long-standing hat material beaver-fur felt. The hat body is shaped by using steam, a hat block, and a hatter's knot, after which it's dried in the sun. Companies that produce hats en masse would typically use machinery for each of these steps. After drying, the brim is trimmed with a tool called a brim cutter. The hats are then pounced, or sanded, with this rotating 1960s machine and sandpaper. This creates a smooth surface. The hat is then set on fire to clean up the fibers on the outside. A sweatband is hand-stitched onto the hat, trim is added, and a sewing machine is used to attach even brim binding. Lastly, the brim and crown are formed using a steam iron.
How hats 4 from around the world are expertly crafted
Source: Kalayaan News
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