Introducing "Bwana"

[Art Fawcett]

Hi Everyone
For the last couple of weeks there has been a thread on the Lounge involving the Quartermain hat and I was asked to develop a hat from the stills of the film. During that process we decided that it HAD to be named the "Bwana"
The following links are to the prototype of this new style and I welcome your comments and suggestions.
MD...did I get it?

Bwana in pure Beaver
http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/the Lounge/Bwana_2.jpg
http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/the Lounge/Bwana_3.jpg
http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/the Lounge/Bwana_4.jpg
http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/the Lounge/Bwana_5.jpg

So, what do you think? Any demand for it?

 

[Matt Deckard]

Fantastic.

Is it me or does it have a dimentional brim?

Looks like the humvee of hats. I'd sell it old school with the brim flat.

truly an adventurers hat made to be in the field and take the elements.

 

[ITG]

On the side brim, is the felt splitting? Just trying to figure that little gap out...the hat looks nice though.

 

[fedoralover]

Holly, that's one of the special features of this type of hat, it has a double brim. Art, all it needs is some dirt and sweat and some bamboo hanging off the brim. An excellant job.

fedoralover

 

[Matt Deckard]

On the side brim, is the felt splitting? Just trying to figure that little gap out...the hat looks nice though.

Check out this thread... it's an old fashined style that has been resurrected by Art.

http://www.thefedoralounge.com/showthread.php?t=2599

 

[BellyTank]

Art- is it 2 full bodies? it looks like it's got the bulk of 2.
Looks just like a Gurkha but in quality felt rather than Hare.
Nice with the straight crown- the movie one looked a bit lower and tapered and maybe a bit wider brim- but in my humble opinion, yours is a more masculine hat- the movie one(excuse me) looks almost like a womans' hat in some views... but then it seems like there are 2 different hats in the film- one with a wider brim(?)
The felt colour and pug colour are very Safari-
-surprise, surprise- it looks like a vintage hat.
Very, very nice indeed-

BT.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

Hi Everyone
For the last couple of weeks there has been a thread on the Lounge involving the Quartermain hat and I was asked to develop a hat from the stills of the film. During that process we decided that it HAD to be named the "Bwana"
The following links are to the prototype of this new style and I welcome your comments and suggestions.
MD...did I get it?

Bwana in pure Beaver
http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/the Lounge/Bwana_2.jpg
http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/the Lounge/Bwana_3.jpg
http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/the Lounge/Bwana_4.jpg
http://www.vintagesilhouettes.com/the Lounge/Bwana_5.jpg

So, what do you think? Any demand for it?

Art,
Is that the natural beaver color?

 

[gandydancer]

Very nice, Art.

It certainly looks like it would stand up to the abuse of a year long safari. One tough looking hat. Now I want to hear what Mike thinks of it, that is the acid test. I think he will want to know if the brims can be easily separated (for that 9-months into it look).

 

[Art Fawcett]

Art- is it 2 full bodies?

Yes BT, it is for the prototype. I haven't worn it yet so I can't say how "heavy" it wears. I can tell you it's the most substancial hat i have made.

Yes Sharpie, this is the "Natural Beaver" color. pretty cool eh? Makes a beautiful hat. Oh, and by the way, these are Winchester 100% beaver bodies.

The pugaree is authentic Australian military ( at least I stripped it from a hat that said so) and will have to be reproduced here in this country, unless I can find the original maker of it.

Fedoralover....I'm looking fo rthe proper dirt to rub into it. Actually, I don't think I could bear to do that to one of my hats so it might be better to let the buyer do the rubbing.

 

[Art Fawcett]

Steam can do wonders GD, but you are right, MD will be the test!!!

 

[ITG]

Holly, that's one of the special features of this type of hat, it has a double brim. Art, all it needs is some dirt and sweat and some bamboo hanging off the brim. An excellant job.

fedoralover

Aaah, okay....Gotcha. That's quite an unusual feature in a hat...you don't see double brims that often.

 

[BellyTank]

http://www.lawranceordnance.com/new/hats-akubra.html

...this place sells the pugs- Austalian issue ones-

Hope this is useful!

BT.

 

[SHARPETOYS]

Let the bidding and or orders start to come in.

This first hat who ever gets its will make New hat history.Worth millions in 30 years!

The bidding starts at $350.00. Do I hear $350

 

[Art Fawcett]

Thank you BT!!! I'll follow through as soon as I see where the ordering takes us.

 

[BellyTank]

Hey Art- did you see this one?

Hey Art- did you see this one?
http://cgi.liveauctions.ebay.com/ws...&item=6519679399&rd=1&sspagename=STRK:MEWA:IT

...it's eBay item 6519679399 'live auction'

Interesting, if nothing else...

BT.

 

[MDFrench]

HOLY CRAP!!! That looks amazing, Art! I'm expressing GREAT INTEREST! How stiff is the felt and how wide is the brim??? I ask only because the brims of Granger's hat are widely separated in the film and will this hat age the same way with the brims separating into two layers more over time???

In the film, the underbrim flaps loosely in the wind on occasion, implying a somewhat thin felt. How thick is that felt on the proto Art?

Man o man - I am sensing a lifelong quest coming to an end! AMAZING WORK!

Mike

 

[Art Fawcett]

MD, this is a 6" crown, 3" brim (both) and standard 120 gram bodies. The picture was taken right after it came out of the flange so Iwill check it out when I get to the shop to see what has occurred overnight. I doub't that it will sag much overnight, but there is NO stiffner in either brim and frankly not pouced finely so as to maintain the rugged look.
SO glad it's close!!!

 

[MDFrench]

I have now had the time to do a more studied inspection of this prototype and have a few more comments.

Firstly, an amazing prototype by our resident master hatter! My jaw is still on the floor. This hat is a combination of the Granger hat and the Ghurka hat, which should please BellyTank to no end!

I have two (technically three) small comments about the prototype as compared to the Granger, but I have no intention to blindly cry foul. I am more interested in hearing Art's reasoning and rationale for these aspects, as he is the experienced hatter, not I.

In studying the Granger versus the prototype (comparison pic to come soon) my untrained eye is seeing three things, one of which Art addressed before he began making this hat.

The pugaree band is pleated and too khaki as compared to the Granger hat which is a brighter khaki/stone color and more crunched than finely pleated.

The other comments have to do with the hat itself. I am still seeing a brim wider than 3 inches, significantly wider, but again, I could be crazy on this one. I am also seeng a lower crown than 6 inches. Again, could be me reading into this one, or it could be my unconscious impression that this hat is distinctly different from an Indy hat in both color and proportions. A 6 inch crown with a 3 inch brim, to me, brings it close to an Indy Fedora.

Close your eyes and turn the prototype brown in your mind. Now look at my avatar and turn that hat brown in your mind. The proto kinda "goes Indy" and the avatar does not.

I know that I might very well be speaking out of complete ignorance, and as such, I am very curious to hear what Art sees as a hatter versus what I see as really just a fanboy. Anyway, I am regardless very interested in this project and would like to say that I will be the first to order the Bwana as soon as this prototype is fully analyzed by everyone and a final design is "locked" in.

Thanks again Art. Look forward to your comments.
Mike

 

[MDFrench]

If you look at these photos, you will see immediately how high the proto's crown goes up past the pugaree as compared to the Granger hat. OR maybe the Granger pugaree is wider. Or maybe I'm just wrong, and I'm being serious, I could be totally wrong. Anything's possible. Also, you will note the inherent differences in the proto pugaree versus the Granger one in color and texture (pleats versus no pleats).

I am also of the opinion that the brim is not wide enough - just look at how far down in the back Granger's brim swoops, and in the front as well. Now, it may be that Granger is wearing that hat on a turn by the look of the brim in these shots, which MIGHT give the illusion of a wider brim. Again, I dunno. I'm no expert.

Now, these all may be optical illusions. I really don't know. But I believe that if the crown were shortened and that extra felt went into the brim width, the look would be nailed. And of course with mine, the pugaree would be cinched off center of the crown...or I'd wear it on a turn...or both - ARGH! I can't decide!

Art! Help!

 

[BellyTank]

I think the crown height takes 'visual/optical' width from the brim, narrow or not.
A deeper centre crease might help to take the crown down and add a little taper if it's a 'wider' crease. The Granger hat looks like finer felt and the proto looks like the heavier Gurkha style. Granger's hat reminds me of a womans' style- I think it's actually the pug on his- reminds me of the 'scarf' on a woman's hat.

If you look here:

look at this 4-shot of Granger-
the top 2 shots look like a totally different hat from the bottom 2 shots to me- the top hat looks like it has a pug. Look at the front of it- the bottom hat looks like a different bunched-up pug. But look at the contrast in hats and brim size in the top-left and bottom-right shots. The pug probably started life as a pug and got messed up...
2 hats? -what're the correct details?

BT.