Aaron Hats - Aaron’s Hat Blog

Here’s a shot of the checkout counter and some fedoras:

Here’s part of our ever growing Kangol collection:

What are you waiting for? Get a hat on!

Aaron

I often hear from our customers that they have never had the chance to actually walk into a real hat store so I thought I’d post a few pictures of Aaron Hats retail store and worldwide distribution center in North Conway, NH.

Let’s start with the outside of the store with some antique cars:

Part of our selection of fur felt western hats:

Stay tuned for more pictures of Aaron Hats store.

Aaron

Memorial Day is usually a day to have the first summer cookout, play horseshoes and have fun but it’s more importantly a day to remember all those who have passed before us. For some, remembering a loved one wearing their favorite hat brings back fond memories. We frequently have customers walk in and see a hat that reminds them of a parent or grandparent and it immediately brings them back in time. So what better way to honor that person than by wearing their hat, whether it’s a fedora, ivy cap or ladies church hat this week.

Happy Memorial Day memories,

Aaron

Over the decades the cowboy hat has come, gone and come back into popularity time and time again. Some of the most famous people to make the cowboy hat a fashion statement include Gene Autry, Roy Rogers, John Travolta, Robert Redford and of course Clint Eastwood. They may have only worn a western hat on screen but you have to admit they made most folks want to run out and buy a cowboy hat in hopes of being as cool as they appeared on screen.

Whenever the hat industry rides a wave of popularity with cowboy hats, those in the industry are always waiting for the shoe to drop, actually the hat to drop from popularity. Today, cowboy hats or western hats as some call them now, are more popular than ever thanks to the great country western music that’s riding a wave bigger than any hat has ever seen. Whether it’s the country music duo Montgomery Gentry and his Charlie 1 Horse hat called “Tattoos and Scars” or Toby Keith with his own line of hats there are plenty of styles to choose from. Whether it’s a straw cowboy hat, wool crushable western hat or the finest Stetson cowboy hat made of fur felt you’re sure to find one to fit your head and your budget at Aaron Hats.

Gidde up,

Aaron

Who doesn’t love a straw hat on a hot summer day. For most folks, the straw hat is the quintessential summer hat. Did you know that there are actually several different plant species used to make both men’s straw hats and women’s straw hats? Here are some definitions of the different types of material used to make straw hats.

Straw: dried grass stalk: a single dried stalk of a cereal crop or grass used to make hats or baskets.

Raffia: common name for a cultivated palm (see Palm) of Madagascar and the adjacent African mainland, the leaves of which furnish fiber for making hats.

Seagrass: grass used for basketry and/or hats: an underwater ocean grass with long thick blades that is harvested and processed into a material, similar to twine or jute, used for making baskets and matting

Sinamay: fabric made from banana-plant fibers: a stiff open-weave fabric spun from the fibers of the banana plant.

Parabuntal: fine straw: fine straw made from the leaves of a palm tree.

Sisal: fiber from sisal: a strong white fiber obtained from the leaves of an agave plant.

So now that you’ve had today’s lesson on straw hats here are a few examples of the many men’s and ladies straw hats available at Aaron Hats.

Go grab your straw hat, stick a straw in your favorite summer drink and head on out to the pool or beach this Memorial Day weekend and enjoy your family.

Cheers,

Aaron

When it comes to leather hats and caps, one company stands out above all others. That company is Henschel Hat Company of St. Louis, Missouri. After creating and manufacturing hats for 60 years Henschel knows a thing or two about headwear. They use only the finest quality leather and continue to keep their leather hats “made in the USA”. Whether it’s a western hat, Aussie hat, fedora, porkpie, ivy cap or baseball cap Henschel leather hats are the choice of thousands around the world.

Some of the innovations added to leather hats over the years have been the addition of Cordura and mesh crowns as well as some styles using special leather making the hat crushable without fear of ruining your hat. Traditionally, a leather hat was too hot to wear in the summer months but with the addition of a mesh crown you can enjoy wearing your leather hat year round.

Henschel has always been know for their quality leather hats but in recent years have expanded their product line to include non-leather ivy caps, crushable wool western hats, canvas hats, oilskin hats and hats made of Hemp. Each year Henschel continues to add new and innovative hats to their selection.

Aaron Hats is proud to now be able to offer every style hat made by Henschel.

Get a hat on,

Aaron

When most people think of Kangol hats they quickly picture a famous celebrity. We all know there have been plenty of celebrities come and go over the years who wore a Kangol hat and yet the brand continues to stay strong today. How do they manage to do that? Personally, I think they’re able to stay strong due to the mix of styles they produce. Every year, they keep a select few styles and colors and the rest of the line is brand new each year. I don’t know about you but I can’t image having to re-create at least 50% of a product line each year. That’s certainly a testament to the talent and dedication of the designers at Kangol. In addition to all the new styles created each year, Kangol produces hat and cap styles that are attractive to a varied customer base. Take the number one selling summer cap as an example. The Kangol 504 Ventair outsells every other brand and style of cap available at Aaron Hats. The reason comes back to the diverse customer base. The Kangol 504 Ventair cap is bought by 20 something’s buying it because it’s a fashion item worn by celebrities. It’s also bought by men and women golfers who buy a new color each spring to match their golf outfits. On top of that, it’s bought by senior gentlemen because it’s a comfortable, simple design that also provides good ventilation on those hot summer days.

Kangol up,

Aaron

Continuing with yesterday’s post, let’s look at some ads with hats that aren’t geared towards fashion at all.

Lowes Home Improvement. While watching tv the other night I saw a commercial for the paint department of Lowes. They claim they can match any color including a man’s fedora in one scene…a very hip fedora at that.

American Express. This tv commercial has been playing for quite some time now. American Express tells the small business owner something they already know…they wear many hats. Using the ol’ saying “wearing many hats” they’re able to convey the importance of their products catering to the small business owner.

Beefeater Gin. In the below magazine ad for Beefeater, nearly every person in the ad is wearing a hat. So does this mean that only the cool, hat-wearing people drink Beefeater? Probably not but it’s a great use of hats in advertising and automatically gears the ad toward the 20 something’s.

Now the important question. Would most people even notice the hats in these ads? Probably not, but what it does do is show that the smallest detail counts. You might look at the Beefeater ad and like the layout, design, colors and you’d say to yourself “There’s just something about that ad that’s cool”. When you wear the right hat people will say the same thing about you…there’s something about him/her that’s really cool. They might not be able to put their finger on it but your hat conveys a certain style without screaming “costume”.

So what are you waiting for…Get A Hat On!

Aaron

It could be just me but have you noticed how many times a hat shows up in a tv commercial, magazine ad or news article lately? In the April issue of InStyle Magazine alone there are at least 16 pictures of women wearing hats. Let’s take a closer look at some these hats and how they’re used in the magazine.

Out on the town. Fergie is shown wearing a Derby, or Bowler as our friends in the UK know it. Not many women can pull of a Derby but Fergie certainly wears it well.

Advertising. An ad for Revlon Colorist shows Sheryl Crow wearing a very cool fedora. We see a growing trend with women wearing what was traditionally a mans hat, the ever classic fedora. I find it odd though that the image of Sheryl is in black and white. It is an ad for Colorist (color) right?

Hot fashion. There is a picture of Jada Pinkett Smith wearing a stingy brimmed trilby that looks so good on her. Actually, what doesn’t look good on her.

On top of all that there’s a few pictures of some knit hats, ivy caps, newsgirl caps and surprisingly only one ball cap that I could see.

The bottom line…spend the time to find the right hat, preferably at Aaron Hats, and it will only make the woman look even better than she already does.

Aaron

Today, May 15^th, is Straw Hat Day. This is traditionally the day when men switch from their felt hats to their summer straw hats. Here in the USA summer starts at different times depending on where you live in the country.

In celebration of Straw Hat Day here’s the history of probably the most famous straw hat of all time…the Panama hat.

Panama hats are made exclusively in Ecuador and are woven by hand from a plant called the Toquilla.

The Panama hat has been worn for centuries with its origins being traced back as far as the 16th Century when the Incas were the first to use the Toquilla plant to produce hats. The hat in fact only became known as the Panama when over a century ago the workers involved in the construction of the Panama Canal used the elegant fibre hats as protection against the burning sun.

In the 18th Century Panama hats found their way into the United States. During the American-Spanish war (1898) the US government ordered from Ecuador 50,000 “sombrero de paja toquilla” (hats of the toquilla plant), for their troops heading for the Caribbean. Earlier in 1855, a Frenchman living in Ecuador took some to the World Exhibition in Paris. The finest hat was presented to the then Emperor of France Napoleon III and has been much sought after by Royalty ever since.

In England much encouraged by royal patronage, the Panama quickly became known as the most fashionable summer hat and remains so to this day.

Exorbitant prices have been paid for Panama hats over the years, sums that equated to a three-month holiday, or the purchase of a small farm. Prince Edward VII parted with £90.00 after asking his Bond Street hatter to obtain the “finest Panama available”.

Its popularity was further enhanced when in 1906 President Theodor Roosevelt was photographed wearing a Panama hat whilst viewing the Panama Canal under construction.

Although the post war period saw a marked decline in the overall popularity of the Panama hat, it is now seeing a return to its original highly regarded status, which can be largely attributed to its appearance in various period films and television series.

One important feature of the Panama is that every hat is unique. The weaving of the Panama hats is a cottage industry carried out primarily in the districts of Manabi and Azuay in Ecuador. A skill that has been passed down from generation to generation.

Panama hats vary in the time they take to be woven. Some of the coarser woven hats may take a few hours whereas the finer hats from the towns of Biblian and Montecristi may take up to 5 months to weave, eventually fetching a retail price of up to £1000. Unfortunately this in no way reflects the many hours of work required of a craftsman to weave such a fine product.

The greatest weavers work only by the light of the moon or when the sky is overcast. Constantly dipping their sharp pointed fingers in water, they split the fibre razor thin, and with all the virtuosity of a spinning wheel, plait ring after ring of palm into fabric so soft and dense that it equals silk. The hats are then pummelled and trimmed and groomed and scrubbed.

The finest panamas have a silk, creamy smooth texture in which the weave is barely perceptible, but if held up to the light, a spiral of rings will be seen spanning out from the apex of the crown.

These concentric rings or vueltas indicate where new strands have been started in the weaving process. It is the number of vueltas that determines the quality of the Panama. In the cheaper and most common quality that might take a day or two to weave, there may be up to ten “vueltas” whereas in the finer quality or “finos” there could be as many as forty.

The panamas are usually imported directly from Ecuador in their hood form. These are then blocked by specialist hat factories into a variety of shapes, with the most popular shape being the folding panama. This hat has the distinctive ridge running from front to back over the crown enabling the hat to be folded and rolled up for storage or travel.

Another aspect of the history of the Panama hat is the tradition of the black band, which is used to trim the majority of panamas. This originates from the year 1901, the year that saw the death of Queen Victoria.

In 1985, the Conran Foundation selected the Panama hat for its Boilerhouse Project at the Victoria and Albert Museum, as being one of the “100 best designs ever”, a belated tribute to Francisco Delago who is said to have originated the Panama in the Manabi district of Ecuador in the 17th Century.

Another name synonymous with fine quality Panamas is Montecristi, a small town in Ecuador where to this day the finest quality panamas are still woven.

No blog entry of mine would be complete without some pictures so here you go.

Get a hat on,

Aaron