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A lined hat photographs badly by default. The inside is a dark bowl, the satin throws the flash straight back at the lens, and the one detail a buyer wants to see, the lining, comes out as a grey blur. That is a shame, because the lining is often what makes somebody choose your hat over the identical hat next to it. A few minutes of care turns the inside shot from the weakest picture in the listing into the one people stop on. None of this needs a studio. Light it from the si

Most hat liners are satin, and for most hats satin is the right choice: it is smooth, it holds its shape, it takes a print and it wipes clean. But some people want the real thing, silk, for a reason satin cannot answer: what a hat does to hair. Felt, wool and polyester linings rub hair all day, strip the moisture out of it and leave it flat, frizzy or broken at the ends. A pure mulberry silk hat liner is the cure, and it is the liner we make for the customer whose hat has to

Every hobby has its own language, and hats have more than most. Read a hat forum for ten minutes and you will meet sweats, reeds, bandlines, bashes and silverbellies without a word of explanation. Here is a plain guide to the terms hat lovers and hat makers use, with the emphasis on the inside of the hat, which is the part we make. The inside of the hat Sweatband, or just the sweat: the leather band sewn inside the base of the crown that sits against the forehead. It gives th

Every reeded leather sweatband has a wire sewn into its bottom edge, and when you cut a band to size that wire is cut too. Ferrules are the small metal tips that go over the cut ends. They are cheap, take a minute to fit, and are the detail that separates a shop finish from a home repair. What a ferrule does The reed in our sweatbands is a synthetic wire that keeps the bottom edge of the band firm and round, so the hat sits level and the leather does not curl. Cut the band an

A stock leather sweatband has to be cut, joined and finished with ferrules before it goes into a hat. A sewn-to-size sweatband skips all of that: tell us the hat size, and the band arrives already cut, stitched and closed with the seam at the back, at the right length for the crown, in one of four colours. It is made to order here and ships from the USA. Here is how to order one and how to fit it. Who it is for Anyone replacing a sweatband in one hat and not planning to make

Giusto Hat Supply started at a hat maker's bench, and most of what we sell still goes to other benches: milliners, western hat shops, repair counters and small brands that finish hats by hand. Here is what we stock for the trade, how bulk ordering works, and what to keep on the shelf so a repair never waits for a part. Satin hat liners, by the piece or by the dozen Every satin liner is about 4.75 inches tall and gathers at the top, so one size fits most fedora, cowboy, wester

A cracked, salt-stained or torn sweatband is the most common reason a good hat stops being worn. The felt is fine, the shape is fine, but the band inside feels rough on the forehead. Replacing it is a bench job that takes an afternoon and a few simple tools. Here is how we do it. What you need A new leather sweatband, regular or full grain; every band we sell is reeded, with a synthetic wire sewn into the edge. A seam ripper or small sharp blade. A tape measure. A strong need

Every sewn-to-size sweatband, every liner cut to a crown and every custom logo order starts with one number: the head circumference. Here is how to measure it properly, the chart that turns it into a hat size, and what to do when the hat has lost its band and you have nothing to measure. How to measure a head Take a soft tape measure and wrap it around the head where the hat will sit: about a finger width above the ears and across the middle of the forehead. Keep it level and

Hat makers ask us one question more than any other: are your leather sweatbands reeded? Yes, every sweatband we sell is reeded, with a synthetic wire sewn into the bottom edge. Here is what the reed does, how a reeded band differs from a plain one, and why we only stock reeded. What the reed is A reeded sweatband has a thin synthetic wire, the reed, sewn into a fold along its bottom edge. It is the ridge you feel when you run a finger along the inside rim of a good fedora or

Whether you block hats from scratch or restore old ones, the inside of the hat needs the same handful of supplies every time. This is the checklist we use at Giusto Hat Supply, with what each item does and what to look for when you buy it. Satin hat liners The liner is the fabric inside the crown. A good satin hat liner is about 4.75 inches tall, gathers at the top, and tucks in behind the sweatband, with a touch of glue optional on the hidden bottom edge. Liners are sold by

Custom hat liners with your own logo are the easiest way to make a hat feel like it came from your shop. Hat makers and brands ask us the same questions before ordering, so here is the whole process in one place: the two ways to put a logo on satin, what to send, how the proof works, and what happens after you order. Two ways to put your logo on a liner Classic Foil stamps your logo in gold, silver, black, blue or red foil on one of our satin colours. It is the traditional ha

A satin hat liner takes the brunt of hair product, sweat and dust, so it is usually the first part of a hat to look tired. The good news is that a liner is small, it lifts out, and it is cheap to replace. Here is how we clean satin hat liners, what to avoid, and how to know when it is time for a fresh one. Take the liner out first Our liners tuck in behind the sweatband and are usually held there by the sweatband alone, so you can lift the edge of the sweatband and ease the l

The most common question we get about leather sweatbands is not the colour or the leather, it is the size. Here is how sweatband length relates to hat size, how to measure a hat that has lost its band, and when it is worth ordering a band already sewn to size. Sweatband length versus hat size A hat size is the circumference of the head in inches divided by pi, so a size 7 hat has an inside circumference of about 22 inches and a 7 5/8 about 24 inches. A sweatband is cut longer

A satin hat liner is the piece of fabric that finishes the inside of a felt or straw hat. It protects the crown from hair oils and sweat, it makes the hat feel finished when a customer turns it over, and it is the cheapest way to make an old hat look cared for again. Here is what to look for when you buy one, based on what we make every week for hat makers and hat shops. Which size to order Our satin liners are cut about 4.75 inches (12 cm) tall, which sits inside a standard

The sweatband is the strip that sits against your forehead inside the crown. It takes all the sweat, all the friction and most of the abuse a hat gets, and it is usually the first part to fail. If you are building a hat or repairing one, the choice comes down to leather or fabric. Here is how they compare in practice. What a sweatband actually does It keeps moisture and skin oils off the felt or straw, it gives the hat a firm edge to hold its shape, and it sets the fit. A hat

A worn hat liner is the most common reason a good hat starts to look tired. The felt is fine, the sweatband is fine, but the satin inside has gone shiny, stained or torn, and every time the hat comes off at the table, so does the impression. The good news is that replacing a hat liner is one of the easiest jobs in hat care. Here is how we do it at Giusto Hat Supply, and what to look for when you buy the new liner. What a hat liner actually does The liner sits inside the crown