Albertus Swanepoel Brings Spice to Stetson

by Annie Scott (RSS feed)
Aug 24th 2010 at 11:01AM

Even if you've already got an iconic, American-made Stetson hat, you probably don't have one like this.

Though the classic Stetsons will always be available and you may think there's nothing new (or at least nothing new that's not ridiculous) in the world of hats, Albertus Swanepoel's 2010 collection has rendered us speechless. These fabulous, spicy hats are masculine and creative, with lush materials and colorful, yet handsome plumage.

"It's a great honor to collaborate with a legacy brand such as Stetson. They are the Rolls Royce of hats to me in America and I'm thrilled to be associated with this brand," said Swanepoel. "This is also is a great opportunity for me to inject a more modern sensibility into their iconic designs."

And that he did. Inspired by everything from vintage cars to modern films and even art, he has created an alluring collection of attractive hats that appeal to ages 8 to 80. Above, for example is the "Pablo," a 100 percent fur felt pork pie dress hat which has coloring and an unusual bow placement influenced by the works of Pablo Picasso (retails for $200.00). Fewer than 50 of this hat will be made.

Select styles from the limited edition Albertus Swanepoel for Stetson collection are available now from Hartford York for pre-order, to ship in September, and will be available at Barneys stores nationwide. Check out the full 14-hat collection -- and their inspirations -- below.

Gallery: Albertus Swanepoel for Stetson

Tags: albertus swanepoel, hat, hats, pablo picasso, picasso, stetson

Filed under: Apparel, Men's Style

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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)

Steve Singer Aug 30th 2010 4:46PM

The pre-orders on these hats are huge. It stated with our own blog (see http://hartfordyorkhats.wordpress.com/2010/05/27/787/ ) and I expect your article and the shout-out by Kayne West at http://www.kanyeuniversecity.com/blog/2010/08/albertus-swanepoel-stetson/ will make the Swanepoel by Stetson hats the must-haves of the season.

My personal favorite at first was The Carousel fedora, but The Pablo (the pork pie pictured above) is rapidly gaining in my hat affections.

You can see the whole selection at http://www.hartfordyork.com/category/swanepoel and choose your favorite.