The Major - Black Beaver

Felt: Beaver felt

• Brim: Snap front flanged brim with hand stitched black ribbon bound-edge
• Ribbon: 38mm black galloon ribbon-band & bow
• Interior: Branded Regal Purple liner & soft leather sweatband, silver embossing of brand

Bash: Hand shaped centre crease & side dents

Creating the Hat of a Hero

Before hatmakers Herbert Johnson joined the House of Swaine, they were situated at 13 Old Burlington Street in London. In 1980, costume designer Deborah Nadoolman Landis began to design the hat that would sit on the head of a hero.

Mr. Steven Spielberg was on the brink of making Raiders of the Lost Ark, the very first Indiana Jones film, starring Harrison Ford. Nadoolman Landis's hat would be pivotal to the character and the plot, and Herbert Johnson was delighted at having been chosen to create what was to become the famous iconic Indy hat...

When it came time to create the subsequent sequels, Herbert Johnson were proud to step in once again working with costume designers Joanna Johnston and Anthony Powell to create another batch of custom ordered hats for filming ‘Indiana Jones and the Temple Of Doom’, 'The Last Crusade’ and most recently ‘The Dial of Destiny’

The hat of a Villain

The tremendous success of the original trilogy Indiana Jones films have secured their place in popular culture forever and just like our original poet, the hero Indy Poet is ageless and enjoys an enduring popularity to the day.

The same can be said today perhaps for the formerly less notable hats from the films, including 'The Seaplane' and now 'The Major' styles which are increasingly enjoying a popular allure due to their rarity and having universal style appeal for everyday wear.

The Major style is inspired by the hat Herbert Johnson Hatters provided for the film character of Major Arnold Toht, the secondary antagonist played by actor Ronald Lacey in Spielberg's iconic 'Raiders of the Lost Ark' film. It cannot be denied that some of the great movie villains exude style and sophistication. This hat represents the ultimate in the kind of slick style and presence you would expect worn by the most devilish of ne'er-do-wells.

Originally crafted from black fine rabbit fur felt with a black ribbon band and brim binding, these timeless hats are now completely handcrafted to order for each customer by the highly skilled hatters at Herbert Johnson. Now available in both rabbit and beaver felt options.

Discover the full story of our brands collaboration with this iconic film franchise here in our Journal : https://herbertjohnson.co.uk/blogs/journal/hat-of-a-hero

Place the string or tape around your head above your ear and across the mid forehead, completely circling your head. Hold the tape firmly, but not too tightly. Measure your head exactly where you want the hat to sit. Measure in centimetres. If your measurement falls between sizes, round up to the nearest centimetre. It may help to either do this in the mirror or have someone to help for accuracy.

A professional measuring service is also available at our Swaine stores on New Bond Street and at the Burlington Arcade.

For more information please email enquiries-hj@herbert-johnson.co.uk.

A select amount of our Herbert Johnson hats can be embossed, including the The Major. Please email enquiries-hj@herbert-johnson.co.uk for more information in regards to embossing.

Please note that any custom changes made to our products that differ from our standard listing, including custom embossing, will mean that this item will not be eligible for return or refund under normal circumstances. Please refer to our Returns Policy for more details.

All our hats are handcrafted to order or for stock from only the finest sustainably sourced materials here at Herbert Johnson. We work closely with our fur felt hood suppliers in Portugal, choosing only the highest quality fur felt which is ordered to our exacting specifications.

All our felts are preshrunk during the blocking stage to avoid later shrinking as much as possible. Our rabbit is pounced to a smooth finish and a coating of protector is applied to prolong its resistance to the elements. Whilst not as dense as our beaver fur felts, our rabbit makes a very fine quality fur felt hat.

Our Indiana Jones styles include our true grosgrain Indy ribbon which is accurate to the original film hats, still produced to the same specifications for us and woven by the very same machines.

The expected lead time for this product will be 4-6 weeks. The wait time for our bespoke orders may be longer depending on order details.

If you require your hat for a specific event, please place your order well in advance and inform our hatting workshop of any time-sensitive requests.

For current lead times or further information, please contact us directly at enquiries-hj@herbert-johnson.co.uk, and we will do our best to assist you.

We ship worldwide with DHL. We calculate delivery costs based on the weight of each product and country to which the item is to be posted. Postage costs may be included in the purchase price for some items.

Our hats are carefully packaged in white hat boxes within cardboard postal boxes for dispatch. Caps will be carefully packaged in cap boxes within a cardboard postal box. Accessories items will be packaged in double layer shipping boxes.

All prices shown on our website are inclusive of VAT for the UK only. If you are ordering from outside of the UK please expect your local customs office to charge Duty and Tax at the applicable rate for your country.