Handcrafted in Britain

Whilst we love doing business with suppliers worldwide we rely on local UK skill and craftsmanship to bring those supplies to life with each bespoke order. We have several teams of skilled makers producing our wide variety of styles, working across the United Kingdom. Hat making is experiencing new life in these current times and we are proud to be keeping skilled British hatmaking traditions alive.

Quality without compromise

Every hat starts it’s life as a collection of chosen materials and components. Our priority here at Herbert Johnson Hatters is first and foremost QUALITY! In order to produce the very highest quality, hand-made, long-lasting beautiful headwear we choose the highest quality materials and components available to us. We continuously aim to seek out the very best supplies and components for making our bespoke hats and use suppliers from both in the UK and from around the world. The best felt, leather, ribbons and fabrics are sourced mainly from the UK and Europe. We employ a sustainable and ethical approach in sourcing our suppliers and all our materials and components are chosen to the very highest possible quality as locally, sustainably and ethically as we possibly can.

Handcrafted not factory pressed

We have chosen to move away from mass manufacturing in preference to hand crafting using traditional skills with a focus on detailing. The step from hand made bespoke to mass production on larger scales normally comes with a price. Quality is often compromised in one or several ways in order to produce more and bring costs down per item. Each craftsperson undertakes their work with utmost passion and focus. When you buy a hand crafted item you can be sure that your maker has poured intimately over each detail. Their hands have brought your investment to life with care and attention. Mass blocking by machine can produce an unmistakable uniform shaping to a mass of hats and looks completely at odds with the look and feel of a hand shaped crown.

Handsewn

Stitching with fine needles by hand makes all the difference in the longevity of the felt. A hand stitched hat will inevitably last longer through countless reblocking and refurbishment when looked after. Tacking machines would be used in mass production to visibly punch the ribbon band in place rather than the fine needles used by hand in placing delicate stitches in a considered manner. If you choose hand made and hand stitched your hat will last longer given the same care of a factory machine stitched hat.

Completely bespoke custom service

Every bespoke hat we make is crafted to order by hand. So unless you have ordered from our ready-to-wear section, when you order from our bespoke area on our website then your hat will be created to your specifications and desires to order. When you visit our shop to place an order we make your hat also completely bespoke to your specifications. If you want something different from what you see online or in store then please do contact us and we would be delighted to create with you to realise your desires. We like to call this our #yourhatyourway service!

Sustainability

Our products are made from the finest selection of natural and durable materials. We work closely with our raw materials suppliers to ensure that every part of our products is the very highest quality, as ethically and locally sourced as possible. We are firm advocates for the Slow Fashion movement, employing the finest handcrafting methods in our British workshops to ensure the quality and longevity of our products made to last for generations. We continually strive to minimise the use of plastics and reduce waste and energy consumption in our production practices wherever possible. Swaine brands are committed to preserving the environment and seek to minimise our carbon footprint through material sourcing, design and distribution.