Our favourite hats from independent Australian and New Zealand labels
IMAGE VIA BIANCA BOYD
WORDS BY LEEANN BUSHNAQ
Caps, bucket hats, wide brims and more.
Finding the final touch to our outfits can often leave us stumped. Luckily, the answer might be as simple as adding a hat into the mix. Aside from aesthetics, hats are a summertime essential to protect us from Australia’s harsh UV levels, and there are plenty of local options right on our doorstep.
For more style suggestions, head to our Fashion vertical.
These local brands are providing us with a selection of styles that include spray-painted caps, faux fur bucket hats and headwear made from discarded materials. They’re also (predominantly) sustainably producing their hats, so we can shop more consciously. Below is an ever-growing list of some of our favourite local hat brands.
Alpha60
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It’s important to have a variety of protection options in your headwear wardrobe. And despite what the cool kids said in high school, wide-brimmed hats are back in a big way. Sibling-led independent Melbourne label Alpha60 are making protective cotton hats you’ll actually want to wear. Shop here to keep your skin (and your scalp) looking gorgeous.
Jace Banu
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Designed in Australia and handwoven in Ecuador and Madagascar, Jace Banu is the luxury sun-wear brand morphing age-old weaving techniques with modern design concepts. Drawing from architectural, artistic, and colour theory inspirations, each piece is made using natural, certified materials to see you through summers to come.
Ocray44
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Much loved for its DIY aesthetic, Ocray44 creates caps with eye-catching floral designs. The brand was created in the spur of the moment after founder Zoe Crow realised she didn’t own any caps she liked and experimented with bleach designs on one she found lying around her house. The brand remains dedicated to local, handmade production ensuring that no two caps are the same.
Die Horny
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Die Horny is a Naarm-based label founded by designer Neo Frost. Beginning as a music project, Die Horny naturally evolved into a clothing brand. The brand promotes the beauty of the unconventional by covering caps with patchwork, bleach and freehand embroidery. Plus, each cap is ethically made with a focus on using locally sourced, secondhand or deadstock materials and transforming them into eccentric pieces.
Kowtow
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If you’re looking for a hat to complete your Canadian tuxedo, New Zealand label Kowtow (Australia’s neighbours, so it counts) has crafted the denim accessory for you. The Parasol Hat is made from soft organic cotton denim, featuring contrast stitching and fabric lining.
Lack of Color
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Lack of Color certainly isn’t lacking in colour or designs. The label puts innovation at the forefront of its designs and its headwear is designed and finished in Australia and manufactured globally in a transparent supply chain that supports the ethical treatment of workers and the use of sustainable, responsibly sourced materials.
Ge Label
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Whatever material you’re looking for, Ge Label has you covered with its cotton, deadstock wool, faux fur, and Tyvek bucket and brimmed hats. The label’s hats are handcrafted in Victoria and many of them are 100 per cent vegan-friendly. Its hats come in two sizes, allowing for a snug or roomy fit depending on your needs.
Topi Time
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Topi Time guarantees “unique hats and accessories from materials that don’t cost the earth”. It does just that by rehoming deadstock, curtains and towels in its production. If you’re looking to upgrade your hat collection for the warmer months with a cute yet bold look, Topi Time’s sunhats and bucket hats should get the ball rolling. Sustainability is at the heart of its operations and the brand contributes to planting native forests in Australia and New Zealand for each hat sold, made possible by Greenfleet.
Akubra
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Looking for a brand that has you covered for camping, beach trips and everything in between? Then set your sights on an Akubra hat. Akubra’s range is extensive, with felt and straw hats coming in all shapes and sizes. The brand makes hats with subtle tones – picture soft greys and creamy beiges. The best part? Akubra’s hats are wholly Australian-made and approved by Ethical Clothing Australia, so all the labour is fair and safe.
Skwosh
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With designs featuring sayings like ‘She’ll Be Right’, ‘That’s Grouse’ and ‘You Beauty’, Skwosh is undeniably Australian. Available in a variety of fun colourways (the blue and pink combo is particularly cute), its embroidered cotton caps will keep the summer feeling year-round.
Emma Mulholland on Holiday
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If your top priority is finding your go-to beach hat, then may I suggest Emma Mulholland on Holiday? The label’s hats capture the vacation nostalgia we’re all feeling right now through its simple ’80s and ’90s inspired designs. The brand has dreamt up a range of checkered and wavy patterns and embroidered caps without losing its laidback touch.
P.A.M.
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If you’re trying to go understated with your hat choice, P.A.M. is your best bet. Featuring bucket hats, caps and beanies from P.A.M and its curated selection of brands including Wtaps and Affix, there’s plenty of range to enjoy.
Lucy Folk
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Melbourne-based label Lucy Folk creates moments of luxury by turning everyday essentials into wearable pieces of art. Its cotton bucket hats are handmade and the label works with local weavers to create them. Available in two sizes made in its signature woven fabric, the label’s hats are the perfect option for anyone who wants to inject a little bit of colour into their summer wardrobe without going overboard.
HB Archive
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HB Archive’s organic wide-brimmed sun hats are a modern take on a classic, timeless style. Locally designed and sewn here in Melbourne, the label’s hats are made from organic cotton and come with detachable straps. What makes it even better? Each piece is made-to-order, just for you.
Bianca Boyd
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Melbourne-based designer Bianca Boyd has you (quite literally) covered with her retro floral designs. Made responsibly from either locally sourced materials or deadstock fabrics, these wide-brimmed hats are reversible, giving you the option to switch to a simpler design depending on your mood.
Companion
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Companion is a New Zealand-based label that’s committed to circular fashion. The brand makes its hat out of discarded, deadstock or found fabrics and offers a limited range of wide-brim and bucket hat designs. Better yet, each hat is made in collaboration with migrants and former refugees who now live in New Zealand.
Venroy
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Australian label Venroy is loved for its refined, elevated basics and its summer bucket hats are just this. Made in a soft terry-towelling material, they’re the ultimate summer accessory, available in playful pops of pink, blue and mustard. Colour isn’t your thing? No worries, you can opt for a neutral-toned denim style.
Something Wonderful
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Loved for its ’90s-inspired aesthetic, Something Wonderful encapsulates nostalgia with vibrant colours and bold graphics. Creator Dean Carnemolla celebrates local and international creatives through collaboration and limited-run capsule collections. Something Wonderful caps, available in a variety of colours, are perfect for those who like to stand out.
Marle
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If you’re in your mysterious market-girl era, a floppy cotton hat is essential. Thoughtfully crafted in New Zealand, Marle’s Oma and Nonna hats are designed with sustainability in mind. Made with one hundred per cent cotton and carefully frayed, Marle hats are all about relaxed, chic sun protection.
Camilla and Marc
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Camilla and Marc blend timeless style and functionality with its collection of caps and bucket hats. Not only do these hats keep you sun-smart, but the earthy tones make them easy to style for any mood. A beach bag essential.
Ace of Something
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Melbourne label Ace of Something crafts wide-brim hats with longevity and versatility in mind. The brand prioritises sustainable sourcing, working closely with suppliers to source vegan leather and Australian wool.
Crimp
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Crimp Hats was born in Tasmania in an effort to create transeasonal headwear from Australian merino wool. The resulting range of colourful bucket hats will keep the sun off your face through summer and ensure your head is toasty warm in winter.
For more sustainable hat brands, head here.
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