Akubra Hats Archives - Page 5 of 5

Hat Etiquette

August 13, 2010

As the popularity in hats increases, several generations of men are now confused on how to properly wear, and, just as importantly, not wear, a hat.

Andy Gilchrist, founder of Ask Andy About Clothes and sartorial maven, offers several tips on hat etiquette:

A hat should be removed when inside, except for public areas such as lobbies, corridors and non-residential elevators. When a lady is present in an elevator, the hat must be removed.

A hat must be removed for the National Anthem, passing of the Flag and funeral processions, outdoor weddings, dedications, and photographs.

It is acceptable for women to wear hats in Christian churches, (it was once required, but the custom has all but disappeared) but disrespectful for men to wear them.

Never hold the hat so that the lining is visible.

Tip your hat by lifting it slightly off of your forehead. You should tip it when meeting a lady or to say to anyone, male or female: thank you, excuse me, hello, goodbye, you’re welcome or how do you do. Tipping the hat is a gesture of politeness.

I’d like to add one more suggestion. If you are unsure of the situation, display your gentlemanly manners by removing your hat. No one will ever be displeased by a sign of respect.

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Akubra Hats

Tilley Hats

Hat Instruction Videos Now on YouTube

July 30, 2010

David Morgan has started a new channel on YouTube. We hope you will find our videos useful. Our goal is to add more videos as they become available.

Enjoy!

In this video, David explains how to measure your head for a hat.

More videos can be found on our David Morgan site.

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The Sydney

Late May kicks off the summer vacation season, and what better place to have an adventure than the great outdoors, in particular the American West? Whether camping, horse riding or fishing, you’ll want a great hat for a companion.

The following pictures are from a tour of the Northwest we took with Akubra hats and Karaka whips in early May, we can personally recommend these sights and outfitter stores!

Dinkum Gear in the Reed Opera House. Salem, Oregon.

Highway 395 in Eastern Oregon

The Angler Hat. Chukar Park in Eastern Oregon

The Snowy River Hat. South of Jackson, Wyoming

Cows waiting for their hat fitting. South of Jackson, Wyoming

Beaver Creek Hat and Leathers. Jackson, Wyoming

The Cowboy Shop. Pinedale, Wyoming

Lou Taubert Ranch Outfitters. Casper, Wyoming

Looking into Gallatin National Forest and Yellowstone National Park. Outside of Bozeman, Montana.

Western Outdoor Store. Kalispell, Montana, Gateway City to Glacier National Park.

Home Sweet Home

Our Visit to Akubra: Making Fur Felt Hats

September 18, 2009

Akubra’s dedication to quality has made them one of the premier hat makers throughout Australia and the world. David Morgan has proudly sold their hats in the United States since 1965.

Will Morgan visited the Akubra Headquarters in Kempsey, Australia. We thought you might like to get an inside peek into the making of an Akubra hat.

Brian Tucker, Production Manager, stands before the blowing machine. Here the fur is mixed, removing any clotted hair, felt or dirt.

When the fur leaves the blowing machine, it is like soft cotton.

In the first stage of making the hat, the forming machine (not seen) will make a large cone that is extremely fragile and three times the size of the finished hat. From here, the hats will be shrunk, dyed and then shaped.

Stoving is the final wet process. The hats are dried overnight.

Trimmings, such as linings, ribbons and sweatbands (pictured here), are prepared in the factory.

Ready for shipment!

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Akubra Hats

The Burke and Wills

May 15, 2009

David Morgan is proud to present the Burke and Wills by Akubra. This hat is part of Akubra’s Heritage Collection of premium hats. It is a western-style hat with a crown that reaches to 5 inches at the front and 5 1/2 inches at the sides.

Like the Territory, the brim is a wide 4 inches. There are 3 eyelets on each side.

Unique for our line of Akubras is the center crease with side dents. This shape is often found in the American West where it is known as the Cattleman’s Crease. A horsehair band finishes off the hat with style.

Burke and Wills

Sand colored. Sizes 7 to 7 5/8 (56 to 61).

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The Burke and Wills

Akubra Hats

Is It Hard to Bash an Akubra?

December 18, 2008

The Bushman, open crown

We often get requests to bash an Akubra hat, and we are happy to do so. But the truth is, anyone can bash a hat. It doesn’t take any fancy equipment. Here are two popular ways:

The Cowboy Method:

Cowboys used to get their hats wet by wearing them in the rain or dunking them in a stream. Once wet, they could bash the hat into the desired shape. Then, like cowboy boots, they wore them until dry. Drying it on the head not only kept it from shrinking, but helped it conform to the individual’s own head shape.

The Steam Method:

While we use a steamer, a tea kettle works just as well. Run the part of the hat to be shaped over the steam for a few seconds. The steam penetrates the felt, which allows you to work the hat into the shape that you want. We give step by step instructions online for a number of bash styles at: Bashing Your Open Crown Akubra

Remember, an open crowned hat can always be reshaped. And don’t worry about making the perfect bash. Take a look at the hats worn by such icons as Howard Hughes and Al Capone You’ll see ripples and dents where the hat was creased. That isn’t a bash with flaws, but a hat with character.

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Akubra Hats
Bashing Your Open Crown Akubra
Hat Sizing

“Australia” The Movie

November 18, 2008

Jackman and Kidman

On November 26th the epic film, Australia opens in the US. Almost 450 Akubras were used in the filming of the movie. The hats were designed by milliner, Rosie Boylan, who says,

“With the men’s hats, my role was to create a range of strong character looks that carried the epic Hollywood styling of the film. I took the cinematic vision and worked with Akubra to translate their classic hats into customised pieces.”

And Managing Director Stephen Keir, the fifth generation of Keir to take the helm at the family owned and operated Akubra says,

“We sent fresh, new open crowned hats off and they then had to make them look like they’d been worn through anything from war to years in the outback. Our hats are renowned for their durability so I’m sure ageing them was an art in itself.”

This isn’t Akubra’s Hollywood debut, with past movie credits including The Man from Snowy River, Crocodile Dundee and 3:10 to Yuma.

By the way, do you see Hugh Jackman wearing a riding coat? The Driza-Bone riding coat is an icon of the Australian Outback, where drovers would herd cattle over long distances using stock whips.

One familiar hat in the movie is the Slouch. Also known by Australians as “The Digger”, it is has been worn by the Australian military since 1885. David Morgan has sold the Slouch since 1965. These photos are of extras in the movie.

Wearing a Slouch

Many people wonder why we use the term “bash” when we talk about creasing a hat. The word “bash” comes from Australia where soldiers would receive their hat unshaped. They were required to bash it into the proper military form.