A hatful of advice from Strand Hatters

By Niall Roeder.

A good lid never goes out of fashion. Strand Hatters know this. They’re all about this. Be it a panama from the hills of Ecuador, an Akubra from the Outback, a fez, boater, beret or sombrero, they’re on a mission to discover hand-crafted headwear styles from around the world and bring them to the naked heads of Sydney. They also dabble in other men’s accessories, like canes, umbrellas, bow-ties, braces, gloves, scarves and cuff links. We caught up with Robert, aka the Hat Master Bert, to get some hatting tips for the modern man and woman…

We have a SALE. Table #hurry #oneweek #bbigheads. #crap

A post shared by STRAND HATTERS (@strandhatters) on Jun 26, 2016 at 5:36pm PDT

Any care tips for the hat enthusiast out there?

A good quality hat will virtually look after itself, a little steam and dust every now and again and it will come up like new.

Let’s start off with some tips for when one is acquiring a brand spanking new lid.

What the hat is for is an important question to ask. Winter, summer etc., as we are coming into a Sydney winter, fabrics like tweeds, oilskins, felts and leathers are stronger, and brims tend to get a little smaller. We can get a hat to suit anyone, anywhere.

We’ve seen Pharrell’s Berenstain Bear tall hat and Leon Bridges with his 20s gangster fedoras, what’s the next big one for the gents?

We have done hats for Pharrell and Leon, both Akubras of course. And it’s about the Akubra now, brims are getting a little wider as people are wearing more hats and getting more confident. Felt can be worn in both summer and winter as well. The traditional fedora is making a huge comeback, think Indiana Jones. Also open crowned hats, we can block and shape by hand in the store to perfectly match one’s desires.

Leon Bridges wearing the "Speakeasy" made exclusively for us, by @akubraofficial #music #hats #soul #fedora #legend #texas #touringsoon #sydney #strandhatters

A post shared by STRAND HATTERS (@strandhatters) on Jun 9, 2016 at 4:15am PDT

Are hats still in fashion for the gals? Please say yes. If so, which style?

Yes, yes, yes! We are a men’s hat shop, but women wear men’s hats and may I say look bloody awesome in them. Men’s hats tend to be better made and traditional, hence why woman lean towards them. Bring it on.

Is Akubra king when it comes to fine Aussie hats?

Yes, totally. The rise has been happening for years, people are buying smart and Akubra is all local made and an incredibly ethical item. People are trending away from fast fashion, this is a good thing, we don’t get involved with fads or fast fashion at all.

When are pirate hats going to make their long awaited comeback?

We sell them, so hopefully soon. And it’s actually International Talk like a Pirate Day coming up (September 19), that’s always an epic day.

Another happy customer @saint.billios and his new custom shaped hat we sent him #akubra #menswear #hats #hatmail #feathers #custom

A post shared by STRAND HATTERS (@strandhatters) on Jun 4, 2016 at 4:45pm PDT

What are you rocking at the moment?

As it’s cooler, small hats like trilbies, and caps like a traditional Irish cap are what myself and the lads are wearing.

You’ve got to do a nudie run through a huge judgemental crowd, which hat do you choose to both cover yourself up and to show off your hat selection skills?

Obviously the tallest crowned hat in the shop to cover up! And whilst wearing an Akubra cowboy hat, as they are designed to go up on the sides, so aerodynamically it will stay on better when I am running as fast as one can, cause ain’t nobody wanna see a FAT HATTER naked…

Any other info, facts, tales of misadventure you want to include? Hat related or not…. Run wild.

I’m a naughty boy, everyday; the tale of the Mad Hatter has never been truer… And some secrets need to stay within the Mad Hatter’s world.

It's all about the crown at @thesocialstudio wearing @akubraofficial #opencrown ##hats #sydney #newtown #socialstufio

A post shared by STRAND HATTERS (@strandhatters) on Apr 5, 2016 at 7:37pm PDT