Wolfbrae Custom Hatters

[Blare]

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Shipping out tomorrow to Toronto. Ukraine dress weight beaver Pecan felt with a vintage burgundy crown ribbon and brim binding. Another customer choice that I think looks brilliant. It is burgundy but has brown tones in it as well as opposed to a deep red. It works so well together. Using my new 3/4" curling shackle to get hybrid Lord's hat and a Homburg.

It is beautiful. Wonderful job Robert

 

[JakeHacker]

With the permission of @belfastboy I’m starting a dedicated Wolfbrae Custom Hatters thread.

I know the regulars here already know most of this, but as we always have new folks showing up, members and lurkers, I thought I’d start at the beginning:

The hero of our story @belfastboy has a love of hats. He has custom hats from many of the best hatters as well as a collection of custom hats. He’s enjoyed hats for many years so when he retried he decided to try out hat making (he makes hats for men and women). At this point he’s just starting out, but his work is solid and his hats are very nice. He can take on most any project from a complete custom build to a simple leather sweatband replacement. He has a decent, and growing, selection of blocks and flanges and vintage grosgrain ribbon. He has access to a wide range of felt hat bodies. The postage from Canada is a bit more than I’m used to with domestic hatters, but shipping from BC to California is only about a week, the his most reasonable prices more than offset the increased shipping. Hopefully @belfastboy will be able to post a price list at some point. I’ve done all my commissions via email and the responses are quick and progress updates are regular: just how I like it.

I hope everyone who gets a Wolfbrae has work done by Wolfbrae on their hats posts it here. I’m happy to support a great guy and I’m very pleased with all his work.

Here’s a hat to start off:

This was a rebulid of an existing hat that really counts as a new build. The hat was reblocked to my size, the crown height was increased and the brim width decreased (stole from the brim to increase crown height). The brim was flanged, a new sweatband was sewn in, a new vintage ribbon and bow sewn on, and the original liner was put back in at my request:


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Thank you to Brent for the introduction. This past year has been a 'go slow' process of introducing my hat making to the world. I have accumulated equipment and although I have learned it is likely a life time/never ending process I now have a selection of blocks and flanges in both long and regular oval. I was fortunate to buy a wide assortment of vintage ribbon from Art and if the Gods smile upon me I might be adding vintage European grosgrain too.

I have access to all the felt suppliers. It would be great to settle on just 2 suppliers and bring in inventory but that is proving elusive. I will in the coming weeks set up an ETSY shop but in the meantime if you are interested in chatting about a new hat shoot me a PM and we can begin the conversation. Oh, and I offer a line of ladies hats as well so if the woman in your life wants a custom send her my way

This is an extraordinary idea. I wish I had thought of and done it!
I continue to look forward to the opportunity to place my first order for custom "Wolfbrae", hopefully to be followed by many more.
Wow what beautiful hats!

 

[belfastboy]

This is an extraordinary idea. I wish I had thought of and done it!
I continue to look forward to the opportunity to place my first order for custom "Wolfbrae", hopefully to be followed by many more.
Wow what beautiful hats!

Thank you for your kind words. When the time is right for you drop me a note and we can start the co-creative process. If you have a vision I will do my very best to recreate that vision.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

This is an extraordinary idea. I wish I had thought of and done it!
I continue to look forward to the opportunity to place my first order for custom "Wolfbrae", hopefully to be followed by many more.
Wow what beautiful hats!

You will not be disappointed. Probably the best value for your money available.

 

[jeff]

I'd like to introduce the newest hat in the stable, a wonderful creation from @belfastboy.

It has a great paisley liner (which... I forgot to take a photo of -- I'll try and do that this weekend).

Robert was fabulous to work with - he has the patience of a saint, and didn't blink at my dozen+ photoshop mockups that I sent him every week or two


Cheers!

 

[belfastboy]

I'd like to introduce the newest hat in the stable, a wonderful creation from @belfastboy.

It has a great paisley liner (which... I forgot to take a photo of -- I'll try and do that this weekend).

Robert was fabulous to work with - he has the patience of a saint, and didn't blink at my dozen+ photoshop mockups that I sent him every week or two


Cheers! View attachment 490225

Thank you for the pictures. It looks great on you!

 

[deadlyhandsome]

My latest Wolfbrae! This is a rabbit fur felt in charcoal gray.

 

[jeff]

My latest Wolfbrae! This is a rabbit fur felt in charcoal gray.

LOVE IT! And just look at that liner. *Chef's kiss*

 

[Gregory Wilde]

Brent....Very nice custom fedora hat from our man Robert.. Bravo.!........kind of city meets the west./urban goes country gentlemen.. (so to speak imo)....lookin' good!

It's hard not to look good in a fine quality Wolfbrae custom either in beaver or rabbit... as those of us who have been fortunate enough to collaborate with Robert for our hats know so well.

He is so patient with his growing client roster.. and that results in the lucky client getting exactly the hat that he has envisioned for himself.

Belfastboy is one of the very best at his craft......Those last two grey hats (of yours and Jeff's) are two more examples of his outstanding work..

Cheers to all those of us who love our Wolfbrae bespoke fedoras!

Gregory

 

[StoryPNW]

I'm in the queue for another hat from Robert and I'm really looking forward to what we come up with in the next couple months.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

The trick is to have multiple spots save in his queue and perpetually be a few weeks from another hat! Works for me!

There’s a special hat that Robert has been making me that should be done soon. Rather than send it in anything less than perfect condition, he has started over and now he is blocking it inside out to address what I’m sure was a minor flaw in the felt. I don’t demand perfection, but I love hatters who go to great length to give you the best hat possible. Robert is so great to work with and his hats are absolute bargains.

 

[belfastboy]

Mea culpa, mea culpa! A client came into the shop today to chose a hat to wear to the Stampede Music Fest in Palm Springs next month. Her husband owns a Nick Fouquette creation and wanted a 'festival hat' to wear to equal his....except his cost $2500 and mine.....much much less! FEPSA rabbit felt in Commando green.

Here is our joint creation......my version of a Nick Fouquette.

I did refuse to distress it in any way but we are going to tart it up with some boho trimmings. The ribbon is from a vintage Balenciaga Italian silk tie deconstructed and reformed, orange & brown leather trimmings and a nickel skull concho.

I think it will outshine her husband's Fouquette hat but then I have a bias!

 

[StoryPNW]

Mea culpa, mea culpa! A client came into the shop today to chose a hat to wear to the Stampede Music Fest in Palm Springs next month. Her husband owns a Nick Fouquette creation and wanted a 'festival hat' to wear to equal his....except his cost $2500 and mine.....much much less! FEPSA rabbit felt in Commando green.

Here is our joint creation......my version of a Nick Fouquette.

I did refuse to distress it in any way but we are going to tart it up with some boho trimmings. The ribbon is from a vintage Balenciaga Italian silk tie deconstructed and reformed, orange & brown leather trimmings and a nickel skull concho.

I think it will outshine her husband's Fouquette hat but then I have a bias! View attachment 501759

Very cool creation Robert! That band is perfect with that green.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Mea culpa, mea culpa! A client came into the shop today to chose a hat to wear to the Stampede Music Fest in Palm Springs next month. Her husband owns a Nick Fouquette creation and wanted a 'festival hat' to wear to equal his....except his cost $2500 and mine.....much much less! FEPSA rabbit felt in Commando green.

Here is our joint creation......my version of a Nick Fouquette.

I did refuse to distress it in any way but we are going to tart it up with some boho trimmings. The ribbon is from a vintage Balenciaga Italian silk tie deconstructed and reformed, orange & brown leather trimmings and a nickel skull concho.

I think it will outshine her husband's Fouquette hat but then I have a bias! View attachment 501759

Nope. You’re dead to me now.

 

[belfastboy]

Nope. You’re dead to me now.

I am thinking of laying the blame on my wife......that might work! But hey, I did refuse to do distressing!!!

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I am thinking of laying the blame on my wife......that might work! But hey, I did refuse to do distressing!!!

At least tell me that you charged her a steeply discounted $1,500 that you’re going to put into more hat tools.

 

[Yamahana]

Where’s

Mea culpa, mea culpa! A client came into the shop today to chose a hat to wear to the Stampede Music Fest in Palm Springs next month. Her husband owns a Nick Fouquette creation and wanted a 'festival hat' to wear to equal his....except his cost $2500 and mine.....much much less! FEPSA rabbit felt in Commando green.

Here is our joint creation......my version of a Nick Fouquette.

I did refuse to distress it in any way but we are going to tart it up with some boho trimmings. The ribbon is from a vintage Balenciaga Italian silk tie deconstructed and reformed, orange & brown leather trimmings and a nickel skull concho.

I think it will outshine her husband's Fouquette hat but then I have a bias! View attachment 501759

Where’s the match stick!?

 

[Darrell2688]

Mea culpa, mea culpa! A client came into the shop today to chose a hat to wear to the Stampede Music Fest in Palm Springs next month. Her husband owns a Nick Fouquette creation and wanted a 'festival hat' to wear to equal his....except his cost $2500 and mine.....much much less! FEPSA rabbit felt in Commando green.

Here is our joint creation......my version of a Nick Fouquette.

I did refuse to distress it in any way but we are going to tart it up with some boho trimmings. The ribbon is from a vintage Balenciaga Italian silk tie deconstructed and reformed, orange & brown leather trimmings and a nickel skull concho.

I think it will outshine her husband's Fouquette hat but then I have a bias! View attachment 501759

This should be interesting, since you're doing something different maybe you could post some photos of your process, this could be the begining of something new for you.

 

[belfastboy]

This should be interesting, since you're doing something different maybe you could post some photos of your process, this could be the begining of something new for you.

I have done this before....just not sure I want to encourage it!!

 

[belfastboy]

Where’s

Where’s the match stick!?

My lawyer has advised me against it!