Hat Shapes & Styles Brought to You by American Hat Company

American Hat Company has been making the finest cowboy hats in the world, both felt and straw, since 1915. Crafted in Bowie, Texas, each hat is handmade by expert craftsmen. Whether you’re looking for a hat to wear for a rodeo, ranch work, riding, a concert, dancing, or to just add to your overall daily wardrobe, the American Hat Company has the perfect hat for you! Their goal is to provide the finest quality, American-made cowboy hats to their customers.

American Hat Company uses presses from the mid-1800s and sewing machines that have been in service since before the 1950s. Each and every piece of machinery is specialized for every step of the hat-making process. In addition, every single hat is finished and sanded by hand. The only cowboy hat that can live up to the standard of style, quality, and durability that you’d expect from an American-made product is one made by the American Hat Company.

American Hat Company takes a lot of pride in the fact that there’s no set expectation for men’s and women’s hats. Hats aren’t confined to a single style, so people can craft a hat style suited specifically for them. Hat shapes and styles also vary on location, lifestyle, and personal preference. American Hat Company provides you with a selection of quality hats in different price ranges and colors, as well as your choice of hat shape including crowns, creases, and brims.

There are two main types of hats, felts and straws. Felt hats, typically worn in the colder months, are widely popular as they came around before their straw counterparts. Straw hats are typically worn in the summer because the material and vents are much better for warmer weather. Additionally, straw hats can be made out of lots of different materials, colors, and styles as well.

American Hat Company hats are sold across the globe at most western stores. However, you won’t be able to purchase a hat directly from their facility in Bowie, Texas as they are wholesale only. When shopping for your American hat, your hat shaper will be integral to the process of getting it to look just the way you want. They will use steam to shape your hat to your face, style, and liking. If you don’t already have a signature shape you prefer to wear, they will help you decide on a crown and brim shape. The crown is the top part of the hat that covers your head with the brim being the flat portion that keeps the sun off your face and shoulders. Listed below are some of the crown styles.

Open Crown

American Hat Company is known for its open crown and flat brim, which means it’s a cowboy hat with no crown or brim shape. All hats originally start out as open and flat, then the customer has the opportunity to have their hat shaped to their exact specifications with the help of a hat shaper. You’ll have a lot more ability to make these changes as your shaper is shaping the hat because it hasn’t set to cool and set the shape yet. This is one thing other hat companies have stepped away from because it’s easier to have pre-crease styles of hats that are prefinished. American Hat Company has taken that extra step and wants you to have the perfect custom hat that fits your personality. Black is the top-selling color year after year.

Cattleman

A cattleman will be the most common and traditional hat shape. It’s distinguished by the center dent in the middle of the crown, with two indentations on the sides of the crown. It’s the oldest crease found in cowboy hats and one of the most popular, top-selling styles decade after decade. Natural is a color that can be great for both a work hat and a dress hat due to the lighter color.

West Texas Punch

The West Texas Punch, or WTP for short, is typically associated with West Texas cowboys. That’s where you will see this shape more often, especially on the larger 5” brim hats as opposed to a standard 4 1/4” brim hat. It’s big, bold, and very simple.

Cool Hand Luke

The Cool Hand Luke, or CHL for short, is typically worn by bull riders, rough stock riders, and the younger crowd. It’s a less traditional shape and can easily become part of your signature style.

Gus

The Gus is a hat shape created as an ode to Augustus McCrae from the film Lonesome Dove. This style is for men or women who want that old west type of look for their hats crown style.

Minnick

The Minnick shape is a more modern-day shape that’s being worn by people of all ages. It’s very similar to the Cattleman style but the crown is going to be a bit taller making it a modern cattleman. People that traditionally ride horses or compete on horseback are able to get the Minnick style hat on and down tighter on their heads so there’s less of a chance of it coming off when they ride. This one is shown on a Silver Sand hat which is considered to be more of a dress hat for special occasions due to the much lighter color.

Fashion Hat

Fashion hats can come in many colors, shapes, and thousands of other customizations to make the hat yours. They essentially have a shorter brim and a more feminine crown. The creativity is absolutely limitless with a fashion hat.