HNC Hatworks (formerly known as Agnoulita Hats)

[Sincityhatcollector]

I have a fedora on order…don’t think it’s going to make it on time for Christmas. While checking on my order I ran across the Dakota in the western section. It’s shown with a 2 ¾” wide brim, but the 3 ½” brim with the ¾” curl caught my imagination. I expect it will arrive mid-January.

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https://www.hnc-hatworks.com/en-us/products/the-dakota

From your other hats I've seen you seem to prefer traditional timeless style creases. Would ever consider a brick/biggs crease or other variation on that theme. I realize they are not considered classic creases, I think this would a good contender for either.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

From your other hats I've seen you seem to prefer traditional timeless style creases. Would ever consider a brick/biggs crease or other variation on that theme. I realize they are not considered classic creases, I think this would a good contender for either.

I’m not sure what I’ll end up doing. I could keep it similar to the photos or maybe a simple gutter crease. I’m looking for vintage inspiration.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

From your other hats I've seen you seem to prefer traditional timeless style creases. Would ever consider a brick/biggs crease or other variation on that theme. I realize they are not considered classic creases, I think this would a good contender for either.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I have an Agnoulita in marine blue Rabbit fur felt with charcoal trimmings. I love the color, but the brim has always been a bit too short for me. I upgraded to this beaver fur felt hat that arrived yesterday (37 days from order to arrival).

Marine blue beaver felt with a brim width of just over 3” and an open crown of just over 6 inches. The 2” wide crown ribbon is “iron” and the wide binding is an unknown color as I just specified that it closely match the felt in color. The liner is “plum” and the wide leather sweatband is “petrol.”. The felt is definitely a significant step up from the rabbit, but it’s still not on par with the felt I’m used to from my preferred US custom hatters.

Photos are with a quick dry crease on top of a fence post.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

My Dakota with 3 ½” wide brim arrived (measured before the curl). It’s rabbit fur felt and it’s exactly as I expected it to be. I’ll steam it and shape it as time allows.

 

[belfastboy]

I have an Agnoulita in marine blue Rabbit fur felt with charcoal trimmings. I love the color, but the brim has always been a bit too short for me. I upgraded to this beaver fur felt hat that arrived yesterday (37 days from order to arrival).

Marine blue beaver felt with a brim width of just over 3” and an open crown of just over 6 inches. The 2” wide crown ribbon is “iron” and the wide binding is an unknown color as I just specified that it closely match the felt in color. The liner is “plum” and the wide leather sweatband is “petrol.”. The felt is definitely a significant step up from the rabbit, but it’s still not on par with the felt I’m used to from my preferred US custom hatters.

Photos are with a quick dry crease on top of a fence post.

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I really like his Marine blue. Dark blue but still lots of blue in it.

 

[Sincityhatcollector]

So I went to the Hnc Hat Works site and saw that it has been recently updated. It appears he has streamlined some of the color options in the felts, ribbons, and liners. I also noticed the filters are more granular than before and he has added a button for selecting currency displayed. The default of course is Euros but you can select either USD or British Pounds once entire page has loaded it will display your choice of currency. I like the new fresh look and page does not feel as clunky as before when customizing. I think my next order will be via the site as opposed to his Etsy store.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

I don’t like the new website at all. There aren’t as many hats and there aren’t nearly as many options. I hope it’s just a work in progress and not completed because it’s a big step backwards.

 

[Sincityhatcollector]

I believe he is still offering the same number of hats models. It's just grouped differently. Yes I liked having multiple shades of reds, greens and blushes for the liners. Broader choices of colors for his silk/suede finishes and beaver felts available. I imagine those that supply chain related will come back. Those changes due to lack of previous customers' interest may not.

 

[GarySev]

I'm new here; salutations to everyone!

This weekend I placed an order on Etsy.com for one of Agnoulita Hats' "Homburg Hat, The ONYX" which is rabbit fur and comes with a two colored brim (i.e., you select a different color for the under brim as an accent). I ordered the hat in all black, with Royal Blue under brim color.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/899552088/homburg-hat-the-onyx-double-tone-fedora?click_key=7a1313fabfe51e1fd973ada17cb059b01a1c16eb:899552088&click_sum=cefb521a&ref=hp_rv-1&frs=1

Within the 'personalization' portion of the order, I requested LONG OVAL for my head shape, EXTRA-STIFFENING for the crown and brim, and asked for the brim to be pulled down in the front and back a little, which should give the hat's brim a slight arched or crowned appearance when viewing it from the side.

I selected this hat from Agnoulita's Etsy.com offerings due to the two-colored brim option for Hamburgs not being listed as an option on the HNC website. Can't help to wonder why that is?

Anyway, I look forward to sharing with you what finally arrives at my doorstep and my initial impressions of Mr. P's latest work. It is because of the many positive write-ups regarding Agnoulita Hats which I found in this forum that I decided to give them my business.

~Gary

 

[belfastboy]

I'm new here; salutations to everyone!

This weekend I placed an order on Etsy.com for one of Agnoulita Hats' "Homburg Hat, The ONYX" which is rabbit fur and comes with a two colored brim (i.e., you select a different color for the under brim as an accent). I ordered the hat in all black, with Royal Blue under brim color.

https://www.etsy.com/listing/899552088/homburg-hat-the-onyx-double-tone-fedora?click_key=7a1313fabfe51e1fd973ada17cb059b01a1c16eb:899552088&click_sum=cefb521a&ref=hp_rv-1&frs=1

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Within the 'personalization' portion of the order, I requested LONG OVAL for my head shape, EXTRA-STIFFENING for the crown and brim, and asked for the brim to be pulled down in the front and back a little, which should give the hat's brim a slight arched or crowned appearance when viewing it from the side.

I selected this hat from Agnoulita's Etsy.com offerings due to the two-colored brim option for Hamburgs not being listed as an option on the HNC website. Can't help to wonder why that is?

Anyway, I look forward to sharing with you what finally arrives at my doorstep and my initial impressions of Mr. P's latest work. It is because of the many positive write-ups regarding Agnoulita Hats which I found in this forum that I decided to give them my business.

~Gary

What will the Royal blue portion be made from? Is it fabric or more fur felt?

 

[GarySev]

What will the Royal blue portion be made from? Is it fabric or more fur felt?

According to the website listing, it is suppose to be more hare/rabbit fur.

 

[Doctor Strange]

I got my first hat from these folks yesterday. It's the Phaeton "retro homburg/fedora" in Desert, with an additional half-inch added to the brim.

I wanted a hat in an earth tone-felt with a wide black band... that will more or less match with all my black/gray/blue and brown/tan/OD jackets. And I've long been fascinated by the late 1800s/early 1900s homburg-evolving-into-fedora style, especially after recently seeing some great ones in The Alienist and The Gilded Age.

My initial observations:

Materials and construction are pretty similar to my Akubra hats, though the rabbit felt isn't pounced as smooth as my Akubras. Since they don't use standard sizing, I measured my head very carefully and surprised myself by getting something closer to a 7 (56) than my usual 7-1/8 (57) - and it's turned out to be just a hair large. I assume the sweatband will shrink a bit with wear. Anyway, better a bit large than too small.

My only (very minor) complaint with the hat construction is that the sweatband seems to be sewn in a little low: it visibly protrudes a hair from the brim. None of my Akburas, Stetsons, etc., are like this.

I took some quick selfies, but I need to do better shots in open shade rather than full sun to show the color more accurately. Plus, since taking those pics I've been curling in the sides of the brim (which I specified to leave floppy), and it looks much snazzier that way than just flat.



But I gotta say, for under $200 including international shipping, and with a fair amount of customization options for a factory production hat... I think this one's a keeper.

 

[hambone71]

So, I’ve spent some time on this thread and it seems the general consensus is that Mr. P is hit and miss. Based on the pics over at Etsy, the hats look good. Of course pics can be be deceptive and you can’t feel the felt. @deadlyhandsome, I read several pages back that though you have a good relationship with him, you were done giving him business. Yet it looks like you’ve commissioned more from him since then. Has he gotten better at communication, skills are being honed in, etc? I’m considering an order with an understanding that the lower price will also yield a lower quality of felt, compared to other custom hatters. I’m already on the Gannon list but that may be months away. Is Agnoulita worth the price he asks?

 

[Mm25]

My Dakota with 3 ½” wide brim arrived (measured before the curl). It’s rabbit fur felt and it’s exactly as I expected it to be. I’ll steam it and shape it as time allows.

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Have you had a chance to shape this to your liking yet. I’d like to see the results.

 

[deadlyhandsome]

So, I’ve spent some time on this thread and it seems the general consensus is that Mr. P is hit and miss. Based on the pics over at Etsy, the hats look good. Of course pics can be be deceptive and you can’t feel the felt. @deadlyhandsome, I read several pages back that though you have a good relationship with him, you were done giving him business. Yet it looks like you’ve commissioned more from him since then. Has he gotten better at communication, skills are being honed in, etc? I’m considering an order with an understanding that the lower price will also yield a lower quality of felt, compared to other custom hatters. I’m already on the Gannon list but that may be months away. Is Agnoulita worth the price he asks?

I meant it at the time when I said I was not going to giving Agnoulita any future business. A few things changed: they began offering beaver felt, they added new styles, and the strength of the dollar made the prices very attractive.

Personally, I do believe his hats are worth the cost. However, they are not top tier and don’t compare favorably with my favorite custom hat makers. If you have reasonable expectations they represent decent value for money. As the euro strengthens against the dollar the value has been reduced. Unfortunately, their beaver felt is not available in larger dimensions so the specs of a finished hat are somewhat limited.

I don’t like the new website. I also see that they have removed the option of taller (5 ¾”) crowns from their menu. I have one more hat coming….should ship any day, but it don’t have any plans to order others at this time.

Mr. P was frustrating to deal with, but with my last few hats I’ve just used the website options and haven’t interacted with anyone personally at Agnoulita. Mr. P is a good man, and has been honest and honorable in all our dealings, but his lack of communication was upsetting. Now that this part of the process has been removed I like the experience better.

 

[Sincityhatcollector]

I find the slightly lower sweat band to be more comfortable than where sewn in normally (have to remove the reed normally). After wearing them a couple of weeks I find the sweatband will normally curl to meet the felt and become a lot less noticeable. If you feel it's to low you can reach to Mr. P and all previous post with issues have said he will make it right.

 

[belfastboy]

I find the slightly lower sweat band to be more comfortable than where sewn in normally (have to remove the reed normally). After wearing them a couple of weeks I find the sweatband will normally curl to meet the felt and become a lot less noticeable. If you feel it's to low you can reach to Mr. P and all previous post with issues have said he will make it right.

If you want to start an argument with a group of custom hatters......ask about the proper placement of the sweat band. I realize there is a sweet spot or at least range and we are dealing with millimetres difference at the most but hatters have different opinions of "proper placement'.

 

[belfastboy]

If you want to start an argument with a group of custom hatters......ask about the proper placement of the sweat band. I realize there is a sweet spot or at least range and we are dealing with millimetres difference at the most but hatters have different opinions of "proper placement'.

I was going to add a smart ass statement that if you wanted to know the exact right placement you should just ask me! But I refrained!!!

 

[Sincityhatcollector]

If you want to start an argument with a group of custom hatters......ask about the proper placement of the sweat band. I realize there is a sweet spot or at least range and we are dealing with millimetres difference at the most but hatters have different opinions of "proper placement'.

I know it's a touchy subject.
I will just trust the custom hatter making the hat.