As some of you may know, I started my own hat brand almost 3 years ago! What a journey it’s been deep diving into the very old craft of hat makin’. My collection for hats began years ago, long before the inception of Augustine Hat Co. Discovering the intricate process involved in creating Australian wool felt hats deepened my appreciation for them. Unlike many fast-fashion accessories, these hats exemplify slow fashion, designed to last for decades or even a lifetime when crafted with quality. If history has anything to say about it, these hats will always have a place in fashion. Not only for their stylist properties but the pure function they provide.
Curious about how our Australian felt wide-brimmed hats are crafted? Here's an inside look at the meticulous process that transforms raw wool into sophisticated headwear.
How Wool becomes Felt
The first step is sourcing. We find small farms with high-quality sheep wool is selected. Once sourced the fleece is vrty carefully sheared from the sheep and then cleaned.
The wool is thoroughly washed to remove any impurities. This cleaning ensures that the wool is ready for felting and helps achieve a smooth finish in the final product.
After cleaning, the wool is carded. Carding is the process of combing the wool fibers to separate and align them. This step creates a fluffy, loose material that is easier to felt.
The wool is then laid out in layers. For hats these layers are built into a domed shape so they can eventaully be molded.
The wool fibers are pressed together, forming a dense, matted fabric.
Shaping and Finishing Touches
Once the wool has begun to felt, it is shaped into the desired form for the hat. This is done using a hat mold or form, which could be a wooden or metal block that matches the shape of the intended hat. The felt is pressed and molded over the form to achieve the correct shape and size.
We use different molds for our styles! For examples the pencil-brimmed Laguna is made with a mold with rolled edges. The smaller Summer Set has a shorter flat brim. The western-style Dolly is pressed into a cattleman shape. Based on our Augustine Hat Co designs we sometimes add stylish bands enhance the hat's overall look.