Types of hats
The different types of hats:
The cowboy hat:
Like its Australian cousin, this type of hat is very practical for protection from the sun. As with 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 hatmaking 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, the Stetson 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 becomes an icon of the American lifestyle. Due to its long-standing American heritage, Stetson has always established itself as the US hat.
Finally, Stetson, it's not just a hat, it's the hat. Stetson isn't simply a hat, it's the hat!
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The Panama hat:
Primarily 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 managers finally understood that the Indians digging beneath their feet were much better able to withstand the sun's heat thanks to their woven hats.
The genuine Panama hat comes from Ecuador or neighboring Colombia. It is constructed by splitting 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 make their own shape and design.
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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 headwear of all kinds. 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 adorned with a ribbon. This hat covering the heads of gondoliers is depicted on numerous postcards.
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The Crushable:
This hat lives up to its name, as one 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 the cold. Its name comes from the Russian word 'shapka' meaning hat.
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The toque:
The toque is a cylindrical hat without brims, the most well-known model being the chef's toque. Many fur toques, skin toques, or toques made of other warm materials are also produced for freezing winters.
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The beret:
This flat hat is the quintessential universal headwear! Obviously, it's a typically French hat.
Beyond the legend, the beret seems to be nearly 2000 years old. What could be more surprising than to discover in all civilizations the ability to use the raw material (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 a specialty of the Ossau Valley, thus Béarnese. History testifies to this today, as in the church of Bellocq, dating from the 13th century. - This pastoral headgear is mentioned for the first time in a Landes text dating from 1461: "likewise, any beret maker who places his berets at the market, for all placement and table rights, will pay one sol morlan"...
This headwear was also part of a dark red priestly 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 led to its association with the Basque Country. The trends of Pyreneism and thermal spa tourism contributed to its fame throughout Europe, at least from the Second Empire onwards.