Brahma Hats

Come find us tomorrow (Sat July 13) at the Bakersfield Swap meet. We have loads of new merchandise we are excited to display! New hats, hat bands, key-chains, horsehair...Come visit our booth and chat to us about our favorite topic: hats. Do you know your hat size? Get sized for free!

TEQUILA & DART BOARDS....Sisal -- a beautiful port town found on the Yucatan peninsula in Mexico. It was here that the earliest supplies of agave fiber were exported and came to be known by the same name. Sisal, a fiber known for its strength and durability, is harvested from the Agave Sisalana plant -- the very same plant from which your favorite tequila is made. The leading material used in dart-boards and agricultural twine, it can also be woven and shaped into a fine (you... guessed it) hat! Sisal makes an extraodinarily light-weight hat -- in fact, wearing one is like wearing nothing at all! It's delicate and beautiful fibres can be woven into any number of beautiful designs. Furthermore, this fibre's natural lustre adds to a hats elegance. Sisal hats can be found atop a cowboy roping steers as well as a gentleman attending a dinner gala. What goes into making one of these beautiful hats? To put things into perspective, a good quality sisal hat will take a weaver up to twenty five hours of work. This of course does not include the time spent harvesting the raw material or the time spent meticulously extracting the fibers, a craft which has been passed down from one generation of hat maker to another. To this add an additional four hours, which include the selection and separation of the fibers, starching these together to form a workable strand of up to four feet in length. Many thousands of these strands will be woven into each sisal hat. The correct amount is then selected and the weaving begins from the center (button) out and the weaving continues, working ever so carefully to the required outer diameter. After the straw hood has been woven, all of the excess ends are trimmed away then the shaping of the hat begins into what will turn out to be a work of art to say the least. View this link to see how the extraction process begins http://www.herbvideos.com/rope.htm

A fine example of horsemanship

Sahuayo Palm and Turtle-Shaped Pots -- Founded in the year 1530, Sahuayo is a beautiful, picturesque city in the western state of Michoacan, Mexico. The name "sahuayo" means "Turtle-shaped pot" in the Nahuatl language. What does an ancient city named after a turtle-shaped cooking utensil have to do with hats? In addition to having been called the "Athen's of Michoacan" because of the many poets, painters, and artists who have called it home, Sayuaho is also internationally kn...own for it's beautiful and finely crafted palm hats. Sombrereria "La Providencia" has been hand-crafting palm hats for over eight generations. Ironically, the raw material is imported from the state of Guerrerro. The hats were in high demand by the many revolutionary soldiers -- called "Christeros" (because of their use of Christ's image as a military standard) --who fought many a battle in Sahuayo and outlying areas. The soldiers favored these hats because of their indestructibility -- Not only would they protect their heads from falls during battle, but they would still keep their shape when used as seating in lieu of church pews during busy services. Well-suited for scorching Bakersfield summers because of their light-weight, durability, and 50 SPF rating, you are sure to be shaded while making your own fashion statement! It's no wonder country-music-star Kenny Chesney Is known for his! Follow this link for some really cool hat-making photos! See more

SunBody hats are handcrafted in Guatemala by master artisans! Do you wanna be amazed by some really fast hands? Check out this video! (We love it!) Leave a comment, let us know what you think!

Got Shantung? Shantung Straw -- sometimes called Shantung Panama Straw -- is a beautiful light-weight and resistant material used in a variety of hat syles from casual to dress. You are sure to find them atop many a cowboy! "What is Shantung?" you may ask? Here's where it gets interesting! Shantung, although referred to as straw, is actually a finely crafted paper material. In the mid-1900's fine Panama straw became so scarce hatters were forced to find an alternative materia...l. "Washi" -- a finely crafted Japanese paper -- was the answer! Washi was lighter and thinner, yet stronger, than any other paper. As you can imagine, the name didn't quite catch on. So, to appeal to consumers the name was changed to "Shantung." From there, the industry has grown into what it is today. For an interesting discussion on this topic (and other hat-related subjects) check out this link from the Fedora Lounge. http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php See more

Wow! What a great day out at the swap meet! Thanks everyone for coming and visiting us!

Look for us at the swap meet today (Saturday) by the Bakersfield fairgrounds. We will have our music, our incense, and a big order of new hats!

Come find us tomorrow at the Bakersfield, CA swapmeet! We have a whole new inventory of handmade Guatemalan palm leaf SunBody brand hats. They are extremely elegant and durable. Look for the maker's signature on the inside label!

Don't know your hat size? Don't fret! Get a taylors tape and measure the circumference of your head (place it where you would wear your hat) then use the handy-dandy graph at this link to figure it out! Don't have a taylors tape? just use a piece of non-elastic string the same way and measure the proper length next to a measuring stick! Tell us your hat size!

David Nigel Lloyd and Gita Lloyd: Their Music Looks Better Already!

Looking for a hat? Come find Brahma Hats at the Bakersfield Swap Meet on Saturdays.