Lazy Brim Fedoras with Makins Hats

Makins Hats was started by Marsha Akins in 1974 in her one-room, 4th floor walk-up in New York's East Village. Using a Jiffy Steamer, she molded the raw hat bodies over her own specially designed wood blocks and then baked the hats dry in the apartment oven before trimming them. Now, more than 40 years later, Makins still makes all of their hats the old fashioned way...by hand. Under the new ownership of Satya Twena (a new near and dear friend), Makins Hats still takes great pride in their craft and hard work, making the finest handmade hats in New York.

We pitched camp in the Garment District factory for a couple days talking iconic silhouettes, playing with 50 year-old hat blocks, and grooving to Frank Ocean. Indiana Jones served as a huge inspiration—the Boy Scout turned college professor turned treasure hunting archeologist feels as good now as it did when we were kids. We felt like we could get into some trouble in these and escape with the Cross of Coronado...or at the very least our dignity. The brim is a little wider than a traditional fedora, kept on the lazier side, and finished off with vintage military laundry pins, pheasant feathers, varsity pins, 70s union buttons, and military ribbons.

Available at the 111 Charles Street pop-up shop in Boston's Beacon Hill, the capsule collection ranges from $297-$397 and is available in olive, chocolate, camel, and grey.