Hat Design

People wore hats as early as 332 BC. Ancient Egyptians Pharoahs wore tall cones. Native Americans wore headdresses. Tribal leaders donned head masks as hats, many times representing viral powers and animals. Vikings wore horned helmets. Hats became a sign of status. In Ancient Greece, different ranks of their military wore different head gear to organize soldiers by their rank. In the late 17th century, men would wear tall hats for style and to show how prestigious they were. Many civilizations used fancy head regalia to signify their leaders. Kings and queens wore ornate crowns covered in gold and multi-colored jewels. Today, we wear hats for various reasons whether it’s for style, protection, or to show our status. Research different kinds of hats throughout history. Take a look at Hats Around the World
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Make a map of countries around the world and research hats from that country.

Your head is an important body part to protect when you are doing active things. People engaged in felling trees, cutting stone, riding the wild seas, all understood the importance of keeping their heads safe from harm. That’s why when you go skateboarding or biking you should always wear a helmet to protect your head. When you see a construction site, what is one thing everybody wears? All contractors and subcontractors are required to wear construction helmets. These protect them from potential dangers like falling materials or hitting their head on hard surfaces. Another example of a hat worn for protection is an astronaut’s helmet. Without this sealed and oxygenated covering, they can’t go into outer space!

Take a look at this soft helmet. Draw up different types of helmets throughout history.

Winter, spring, summer, fall, what keeps your head and ears shaded, warm, and protected? Whether rain, sunshine or snowstorm, what do you wear on your head? A hat! There are many types of weather hats. The gardener’s hat, classic beanie, the beret, the stocking, the ski band, the bomber hat, all work to protect our head from moisture and temperature. In the summer, our heads become heated by direct sunlight. Many people wear sun visors, straw hats, and shade hats for protection. During a rain storm, rain hats come in handy! It is important to wear a hat during the winter as we lose heat through our head whenever it comes in contact with cold air. You lose heat through the process of convection. Convection is heat transfer from an object to the outside environment when a gas moves past and makes contact with the object. In this case, it’s your head and the cold air. So, make sure you wear a hat every time you go out into the cold, wet, or sunshine!
Draw pictures of the sun, rain and snow hats that you own!

Do you have a favorite sports team? Do they have a signature hat? The first sports hat was made for baseball players to protect their eyes from the sun. The New York Knickerbockers were the first baseball team to wear a baseball hat made out of straw on April 24, 1849. Soon after, baseball caps were made out of fine merino wool. The bill, or the part that sticks out of the hat, was also developed and added onto the hat at this time. The bill helps the players shield their eyes from the sun. Today, baseball hats are worn by everyone and not only for baseball. It is worn for sun protection, and for style.
Make this paper baseball hat and design a baseball cap for your favorite sports team.

Colonel Meriwether Lewis Clark Jr. is the founder of the Kentucky Derby. When the Derby first opened, it wasn’t a place where the upperclassmen, especially women and children, were typically found, as it was a place of gambling and drinking. Lewis Clark Jr. was inspired by this trip to the London Epsom Derby and Paris’ Grand Prix and decided to bring the fashion excitement to the Kentucky Derby. He attracted women to the horse race and watching the changing millinery became as popular as watching the running of the horses! The media reports on the biggest and best Derby Hats as guests arrive to watch the race. The big flamboyant hats didn’t become popular until the 1960s when the social fashion norms became freer. Hats became larger, more colorful and elaborate. Today, people still wear Derby hats when feeling festive!

Design and make your own derby hat!

Try thinking of Santa Claus and what he wears. He got the red long sleeved button up top with white trimmings with matching long red pants with white trims. He has his signature black belt with a gold buckle and black boots. What makes this outfit complete? His red hat with white trims and a white little fluff ball at the tip. Hat or headwear is an important part of different holiday celebrations. For Valentine’s day, you can wear a headband with hearts to show people you are celebrating Valentine’s day. There are even crazy fun Easter hats!

Design and make your own hat or headband for your favorite holiday.

Did you know that hats have an anatomy? From the fedora to the Fez, bowler to beret, Texan to tophat, hats have definitive parts that are designed by milliners, or hat designers. The crown refers to the uppermost top of the hat, whereas the brim is the surrounding horizontal extension from the cone, hill or cylinder of the hat. The interior cloth encircling the head is called the sweat band, as it is where moisture will collect on a hot day. The hat band is the encircling material that covers the joint between the head fitting and the horizontal brim. Hats, of course, come in different sizes and designs. Hats for babies tend to be soft; hats for youth often need to be rolled or crushed and carried when not in use. Other hats are by material and use, rigid. Draw three different hats and label their parts.