hatmaker

Hatmaker is a craftsman who designs, constructs, and repairs hats and other head coverings. The term covers a range of practices, from traditional hatters who create felt hats to milliners who focus on fashion-oriented headwear. In modern usage, hatmaking is often treated as a combined craft and design discipline that includes both bespoke and ready-to-wear production.

Materials and techniques: Hatmakers work with felt (often fur felt such as beaver or blends), straw (including Panama toquilla straw), sinamay, and other fabrics. Core techniques include blocking to form the crown and brim around a hat block, as well as steaming, pressing, stitching, and gluing to shape and set the hat. Finishing steps involve trimming, wiring, binding, linings, and hatbands. Hats are often shaped by hand on blocks, while some production uses machinery for efficiency in mass markets.

History and context: Hatmaking has a long history and has played a prominent role in fashion and social signaling. European guilds regulated the trade in medieval and early modern periods, and styles such as the top hat and bowler emerged in the 18th and 19th centuries. Panama hats—striking for their light weight and weave—gained international fame in the 19th century, though they originate from Ecuador. Contemporary practice ranges from small ateliers specializing in bespoke hats to factories producing mass-market lines, with ongoing work in restoration and period reproductions.