The popularity of men's hats is declining. These two pictures of the Parisian Café de la Paix taken less than 100 years apart speak volumes.
Die-hard hat wearers are few and mostly interested in the hats' classicism. New cheap hats have made some waves in the market, but their impact is limited and will unlikely last due to their poor quality.
Why are men's hats going out of fashion?
Two of the reasons why hats are less popular today are that most people find them to be somewhat boring and inconvenient. Hats are not as trendy as other fashion items, but they are classic and timeless, and in a fashion world where trends are constantly changing, this is a major disadvantage. This may explain (i) why there is a difference between men's and women's hats (women's hats tend to be more creative) and (ii) why caps are so popular (despite limited difference in forms, an unlimited choice of colors, patterns, and prints exist).
How to make men's hats more attractive?
All sorts of hats already exist on the market; all sorts of forms and materials have been tested, and novelty is limited: to "minor changes to the brim, the crown, or the pinch will not significantly or lastingly alter people's perception of hats or convince newcomers to become hat wearers.
There is one hat component that could make a difference: the hatband. The hatband is currently typically made of traditional grosgrain in dark colors, with no fantasy allowed, to please most customers. It is designed to last the lifetime of the hat and is permanently attached. This makes the hatband an outdated accessory that makes the hat look dated (for a counterexample of a non-boring grosgrain hatband, visit https://www.instagram.com/superior_hats/) . This is different for western hats, which have a steady market in the United States. Their success is likely due in part to the creativity of western hatbands and the fact that users often change the manufacturer's bands for customized ones, making the western hats and their bands true fashion accessories in the eyes of their wearers: Nice hats being expensive and wearers being attached to their hats, it is important to offer mobile hatbands that can be easily changed to transform the look of a hat.
At OurHatsDeserveBetter, we are hat lovers and want the hat to make a comeback through a "revolution" of the hatband. We believe that it is possible to make hatbands true fashion accessories that will change the way people perceive hats.
This requires new hatband characteristics:
Creativity
- Innovative design
- Wide variety of fabrics and colors (over 40)
- Use of accessories
- Adjustable buckle to adjust the band to the hat
- Semi-precious butterfly clutch to attach the tail of the band to the band and the hat
- Ability to create your own hatband using our 40+ different fabrics and 10+ different adjustable buckles
- Because of the use of press stud for the band of the bow (the bow buckle), our customers can easily reconfigure their PapHat hatbands: an illustration is our 16-in-1 kit that includes 4 different bow bodies and 4 different bow buckles, allowing them to enjoy the benefit of a hatband without a bow or with 16 different bows through the combination of the different bow bodies and buckles.
Our PapHat hatbands are the alternative to the traditional boring grosgrain ribbon: Designed to pep up your hats and be fun!
