A cowboy hat is its wearers greatest asset. That’s why we sell the best you can find.
One of our favorite hat companies is O’Farrell Hat Co. They specialize in making hats using old-world hatmaking techniques.
The Team:
Kevin O’Farrell’s fascination with the old-world process of hatmaking began more than 30 years ago and led him through many years of study with hatters from Oregon to Florida. Kevin chose his preferences of technique and design, applied skill and inventiveness and honed his ability to “know” the best proportions of crown and brim for each person.
Kevin passed along all of this to his son, Scott who now operates the second generation of the O’Farrell legacy.
The O’Farrell Hat-making Team is a highly skilled and very particular group of men and women.
Anatomy of an O’Farrell – The Felt, The Feel, and the Finish
The Crown:
To a hatter, this is the crowning showpiece and should be proportional to your face. The indentations on the side are the creases and their varieties are almost limitless.
The Felt:
Choose from our Pure Beaver Fur (pure means 100%) or our Beaver & European hare blend. We carefully brush, sand and hand-hone to the finest felt you can buy. This gives the hat a tremendous “memory” to keep its shape in all kinds of weather.
The Brim:
As with the crown, the variety of brim styles (width, with a pencil roll like the one here -or-without), make your hat unique. The brim has a firmer body for handling and some styles have a ribbon “binding” along the edge. Never lay your hat down on a flat surface on its brim as this will eventually create a flat area on the front and back. Please turn it upside down on its crown or turn the sweatband inside out and stand it on the sweatband if it’s wet.
The Sweatband
O’Farrell is made of superior porous goatskin or sheepskin, cut and sewn at the perfect angle to conform to your head, allow it to “breathe” comfortably and resist perspiration stains. We insert an “oil silk” to protect the felt from moisture, and a steel wire reed for strength.
The Hatband
The trimmings, the icing on the cake. Our hatbands aren’t just after-thoughts. They are from the finest artisans we can find in the Southwest and each one is unique. Take your pick from silver, gold, leather, bead, quill, horsehair, or French ribbon.
The Lining
Up inside the crown, your hat will be lined by fine satin with the O’Farrell crest.
The Fit
If you can give us an accurate measurement of your head circumference (about 1/4″ above your ears), we can incorporate that as we build your hat. It is also important to know, if possible, how your head is shaped (round-oval, long-oval or extra long-oval). in order for us to make it comfortable.
