Types of hats
The different types of hats:
The cowboy hat:
Like its Australian cousin, this type of hat is very practical for sun protection, and like the Australian hat, many US hats are made of felt, offering a lighter wear.
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The Stetson hat: American-style hat made of fur felt and beaver.
In 1865, with $100, John B. Stetson rented a small room and bought the tools he needed to make hats. With $10, the John B. Stetson Hat Company was born.
One year after the "western hat" or "boss of the plains" was born, Stetson was on its way to becoming a label of quality, longevity, innovation, and beauty.
John B. Stetson revolutionized the image of the hatmaker profession, seen as uncertain, lazy, or distant, thanks to his flourishing business in America. The longevity and success of the Stetson hat is based on innovation and quality materials! John B. Stetson dominated the hat industry throughout his career by designing new fashionable and functional hat models. Today, Stetson's hat factory on Joseph Street, Missouri is one of the largest in the country and produces a line of hats in hundreds of different models and colors.
Consequently, Stetson hats are the most well-known hats in the world. Stetson symbolizes the spirit of the West and quickly became an icon of American lifestyle. Due to its long American heritage, Stetson has always established itself as the US hat.
Finally Stetson, it's not just a hat, it's the hat.
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The Panama hat:
Mainly made of straw, some of these hats are true marvels of manual ingenuity, and their origin is obviously... Ecuadorian.
The name given to this hat comes from the time of the Panama Canal construction. When Western supervisors finally understood that the Indians digging beneath their feet were better able to withstand the sun's intensity thanks to their woven hats.
The authentic Panama hat comes from Ecuador or neighboring Colombia. It is constructed by splitting thatch straw and weaving it in a concentric pattern. All genuine Panama hats are woven by a handful of Ecuadorian weavers. Most hat brands (like Stetson and Borsalino) buy the hat body from Ecuador, and then create their own shape and style.
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The straw hat:
Straw being a material well-suited for making light and airy hats, it is obviously widely used to manufacture all kinds of headwear. This type of hat was particularly appreciated in rural areas to protect from the sun and better endure hard work.
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The boater:
The boater is a straw hat decorated with a ribbon. This hat covering gondoliers' heads is featured on many postcards.
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The Crushable:
This hat lives up to its name, as you can generally sit on it without damaging it. It's made of wool felt.
The ushanka:
Fur hat with fold-down ear flaps highly appreciated in winter for protection against cold. Its name comes from the Russian word chapka meaning hat.
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The toque:
The toque is a cylindrical hat without brims, with the chef's toque being the most well-known model. Many fur toques are also produced, made of fur, leather, or any other warm materials for freezing winters.
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The beret:
This flat hat is the ultimate universal headwear! Obviously, it's a typically French hat.
Beyond the legend, the beret appears to be nearly 2000 years old. What could be more surprising than discovering in all civilizations the ability to use raw materials (sheep's wool) provided by nature for protection, and even more, to assert one's identity and social status through one's headwear.
While the beret remains a national emblem, it was first and foremost an Ossau Valley specialty, thus from Béarn. History testifies to this today, as seen in the church of Bellocq, dating from the 13th century. - This pastoral headwear is mentioned for the first time in a Landes text from 1461: "likewise, any beret maker who places their berets at the market shall pay one sol morlan for all placement and table rights"...
This headwear was also part of a dark red sacerdotal ornament, which in the time of Saint Cyprian, Bishop of Carthage, martyred in 258, was called "the byrrium".
According to numerous accounts, the beret was popularized and spread by the Carlist Wars in Spain (1834-1840), which simultaneously gave it its association with the Basque Country. The trends of Pyreneism and thermalism contributed to its fame throughout Europe at least from the Second Empire period.