As hats have regained popularity, terms such as fedora, bowler, gambler, safari, and others have become more well-known. The issue is that people aren’t really sure which style they want, and we sometimes hear people say they want one style when they really mean another. Hats are available in a wide range of styles, sizes, and materials these days. The hat’s style may be restricted to some degree by the materials used.
In this article, we’ve listed down the different types of materials used in making hats.
Cotton
Cotton is a versatile fabric that can be used in a variety of ways. It can be found almost everywhere, including most hats. Cotton is also referred to as the tomato of fabrics. What’s the deal with tomatoes? They are abundant and delicious in most salads and sandwiches. Cotton hats are usually long-lasting, packable, and crushable. They are typically lighter and come in a variety of colors.
Felted Wool
Felt is made by rolling and pressing wool, then moistening and heating it to allow the fibers to mat/interlock and form a felt cloth. It’s lightweight and comes in a variety of colors. It’s a high-quality felt made from sheep’s wool that’s usually used in lower-cost hats.
Straw
Straw is used to producing hats in a range of shapes and sizes. Their strength, fineness, durability, and color all differ. Many packable and crushable hats are made of raffia, and Panama hats are made of straw from the toquilla palm.
Any straw can be woven into a hat, but the best ones are hand-selected for color, texture, and pattern consistency:
- Paper/Toyo – this fiber is made from twisted, woven paper and is surprisingly solid, cost-effective, and light. It is not advised to get wet or use in the rain.
- Wool Felt – Felt is made by rolling and pressing wool fibers, then applying moisture and heat to cause the fibers to mat/interlock and form a felt cloth.
Felt Fur
Fur felt is made in the same way as wool felt is made, but with more refined, lighter fabrics. Rabbit, beaver, and hare pelts are used to make the majority of fur hats. This type of fabric is amazingly soft, and you can tell the difference between it and wool felt when you hold or touch one.
Polyester
Crafted from rabbit hair, this felt is of excellent quality. Hats are rarely made entirely of polyester; instead, they are often blended with cotton. While these hats are extremely robust, they do not breathe as well as other fabrics.
Acrylic
Acrylic hats have many advantages, including resistance to the sun and moths, as well as being inexpensive and colorfast. Acrylic is used in almost every hat design for these reasons.
Nylon
The mesh backs of trucker hats are usually made of nylon. Nylon, which was invented in 1935 and is relatively new to the hat game. It’s made of synthetic polymers.
Metal
Metal hats are the toughest of hat materials, and they’re usually smithed by a big and stern man who’s missing at least one finger. It’s not a metal hat if it can’t survive a blow from a Viking war hammer.
Final Takeaway
Another headgear has evolved as well, including the many types of straw hats worn by people who work outdoors all over the world; those made of palm fronds, banana leaves, or other fibers and worn in the tropics and temperate rainforests; hats and hoods made of heavy fur or leather in the Arctic; and a wide range of crowns and other regalia. At the end of the day, try out different hats and hat materials to find the best one that fits and works for your style!
