Making a leather hat

Making a leather hat

Everything you've always wanted to know about your favorite hat...

The leather hat is one of those timeless accessories that will always find their place in both women's and men's wardrobes, as it is simply timeless. And the first lovers of this hat are obviously those who still make it today, those who have managed, through different generations, to help it traverse time and eras by allowing it to evolve by playing with shapes, colors, materials... Unisex and authentic, the leather hat is eternal.

The raw material of a leather hat, the first element for successful crafting

The choice of materials greatly influences the final result, there are indeed several qualities of leather, and they are not all equal. Whether in the suppleness of the material, in its hold, in its appearance, its thickness... There are many criteria to identify if we want to guarantee a finished product of quality and lasting durability. Leather is a material that has always occupied an important place in human life, for more than 5,000 years, since the period of the first clothing creations.

The different leathers used

• Cowhide, thick and sturdy, cowhide leather is appreciated for its durability and ability to develop a patina over time.
• Sheepskin, thinner, lighter, and more supple, is used when making more refined leather hats.
• Goatskin sits between cowhide and sheepskin in terms of fineness and it doesn't fold.
• Pigskin, thick and resistant, it is much more affordable than those mentioned above.
• Calfskin, a noble leather, highly appreciated by leather enthusiasts, is both smooth and supple and comes in very different forms depending on the treatment it has received (grained, sueded, more or less thick). It is used by many tanneries.

Types of leather

• Crust leather undergoes very little chemical treatment which makes it easier to color, it absorbs any type of treatment or color.
• Vegetable leather is tanned using natural materials, ground oak bark has been particularly used in France for a long time.
• Full-grain leather, this is the most noble part of the hide.
• Split grain leather, to improve the quality of the leather, the dermis is treated and a layer is removed.
• Nubuck, the leather is brushed to obtain this soft and downy appearance.
• Suede, also called buckskin, the flesh side of the leather is brushed to make it usable.
• Split leather, the least noble part of the hide located in the lower layer.

The equipment used for making a leather hat, the industrial sewing machine

Once the leather is selected, it's time for cutting, a delicate step that requires great concentration from the tailors, as leather is an expensive raw material. For this, a pattern is used, generally available in several sizes to meet all demands.

Depending on the hat, more or less resistant and fine threads will be used on the industrial sewing machine used for its manufacture. With a large needle and slow speed, the industrial sewing machine can handle the most resistant leathers to assemble the different parts of the hat.

Elegant or rustic, classic or modern, the traditional leather hat delights with its ability to transform, which has pleased men and women for many generations. Which leather hat model will you fall for...