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FELT SPECIAL
Hare
wool. Rabbit fur is known to be a by- product of the meat industry. Hare fur mostly comes from the
Argentinian wild hare and European hare. Although hares can be found in a variety of biomes, those from cold climates generally make higher quality fur. Hares also tend to be larger than rabbits, with longer and stronger fur. The Myocastor coypu is a semiaquatic
rodent native to South America which is considered an invasive species in many areas and is classified as one of “least concern”. The species is commonly called ‘nutria’ in English-speaking countries; however, in Spanish, ‘nutria’ means otter so ‘coypu’ is used. Willee Roberts comments that it is also called a ‘swamp rat’, though he prefers the name ‘bayou beaver’, while Tim Mahovich remarks that coypu was called the ‘poor man’s beaver’. Coypu fur was at one time seen as
equivalent to beaver fur, and some 100% beaver felts would include coypu fur as well. But it fell out of fashion along with the wearing of fur in the 1980s. This left an overpopulation of this invasive species which still causes damage to the ecology of areas such as the Louisiana Bayou.
The beaver, which is the second
largest semiaquatic rodent, was nearly exterminated because of overhunting of both species (the North American and the Eurasian). But since protections were put in place their populations have recovered and are now listed as of “least concern”. They are commonly wild
Beaver
caught for the fur industry and are larger than their cousins the coypu, who have similar fur. Mink and chinchilla furs are seen as being of the highest quality – for its density, the small size of the animal, and the expertise required to process it. Chinchilla is the softest fur available and is hypoallergenic.
Wrangling information There are many variables when choosing a felt hat body, more than would fit in a single table. Here we will cover three topics: felt quality order, size/weight categories, and textures. The following tables are only to be used as guidelines as there is more to a quality hat body than is covered here. The felt hat industry does not have a
labelling standard to allow individuals to easily compare products. Some companies use an ‘X’ factor to help identify the hat bodies’ quality of composition. Originally 100X meant 100% beaver, whereas now 100X is better than 90X and worse than 200X. The actual fur mix is kept as a company secret. Felts come in a mind-boggling variety
cowboy hat, cowboys didn’t like the ‘fresh from the factory’ look: “Many cowboys even began to intentionally shape their own hats by creasing the crown and curling the brim, making four dents into a peak, two dents, a center crease, two parallel creases, or simply leaving the crown rounded.”
of sizes and weights, with measurements made from different positions on the hat, and weights varying by size, fur and density. In addition, there are also manufacturing tolerances from 5%–7% and dye colour that impact size and weight. On the next page is a simple chart to help define some of the larger categories.
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The goal is to get a feeling like rabbit hair by chewing up all the scraps and remaking the felt into a cone/capeline. “That would be awesome and it will finally be a real circle in fashion,” says Kiriko enthusiastically. At the time of speaking, Kiriko had recently received a prototype sample (pictured above) from a manufacturer in Nagoya, Japan.
Kiriko Sato is a milliner whose favourite type of fur hat body is a flexible soft vintage rabbit felt, which is increasingly hard to find. She is also interested in recycled and
Kiriko demonstrated on camera that it was a flat piece of felt that could be stretched. She is working to create a sample hat to test its effectiveness as a hatting felt.
november 2022 | 47
reused material and the innovative combination of fur felt crown with knit headband.
Coypu
Kiriko has pursued an interest in creating a recycled felt from recycled clothing fibres. “At the moment the felting of recycled material has a flat and very rigid end result. These felts are mostly used for the construction of buildings or used as home supplies.”
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