Real Deal Brazil - The Tarp Hat

[MattJH]

I just stopped by a shoe store on South Street in Philadelphia that I frequent on a fairly regular basis, and as soon as I walked in, the clerk said "Hey, want a hat?" They were sent a Real Deal Brazil Tarp Hat by the company to assess whether or not they'd like to sell them in their store. It's a size Large, so it's a tad snug on me, but hey, it was free! Thought some of you might like to know about them, as I've never heard of them before. Basically, they're recycled from the tarp of cargo trucks in South America. The brim has a wire in it for custom shaping. Just from my minor handling of it, I've no doubt it would survive darned near anything you tried to throw at it. Don't think I'll wear it much, though, being that I live in an extremely urban area.

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[bolthead]

I've heard about these.....

I think it a pretty cool idea. [huh]

 

[yoonie]

Sounds like it'd be kinda hot though. Comfortable?

 

[MattJH]

Sounds like it'd be kinda hot though. Comfortable?

No idea if it'll be hot, but it's fairly comfortable. It has an elastic sweatband.

 

[randooch]

Hey, let me show my rustic roots and say, "WOW! I want one!!" That's just so cool. It's akin to Prison Blues jeans, or sandals made of recycled tires. In these (waning?) times of conspicuous consumption, it is very refreshing to see an entrepreneurial effort involving re-use of common materials. Sign me up, by grubs! :eusa_clap

 

[randooch]

I almost just ordered one, but stopped short when I remembered that perhaps the workers who make these hats might be kids, or adults in essential slavery. The website didn't have any information to the contrary, or about profits, so I emailed them. Brazil has a terrible human rights record, so I wondered. I kill my own joy, but social awareness is a good thing.

 

[jpbales]

while middle-class Americans living in luxury may see it as a sweatshop, people with nothing else to do, no food, and no money may see it as a job opportunity [huh] So you can send him back to manual labor on a farm (or to no work at all) because of "principles" or you can buy his hat like you want

anyway, all else aside, I can't really imagine actually wearing a hat like that- although the re-use of the resources is a great idea! I once purchased a journal made from paper made out of elephant poo!

 

[gtdean48]

Looks like way to much swoop even for me!

 

[HarpPlayerGene]

Very good points, jp.

If I were inclined to get a hat like this, the deal breaker would be that stupid stamped logo on the OUTSIDE of the hat instead of inside the crown where it belongs.

 

[Lefty]

This made me think of the scene in Fight Club where Ed Norton is describing his household items:

"...set of hand-blown green glass dishes with the tiny bubbles and imperfections, tiny bits of sand, proof that they were crafted by the honest, simple, hard-working indigenous aboriginal peoples of wherever..."

 

[hatflick1]

It's Not Easy Being Green

I ordered one of these recycle tarp hats ASAP.
I will wear it when I work in the water efficient garden I put in my Hollywood garden populated by California indigenous desert plantings.
Thanks for the Brazil hat tip!

 

[Marc Chevalier]

I will wear it when I work in the water efficient garden I put in my Hollywood garden populated by California indigenous desert plantings.

:eusa_clap :eusa_clap We need more people like you! Thank you for doing your part!

.

 

[hatflick1]

Marc,
Thanks for the kind words.
Water shortages in California are a little off the Hats topic. However, as you know, the City of LA continues to talk a big game about restrictions on usage and then proceeds to do nothing. Everyday I watch the 7/11 guys hosing down parking lots and wasting thousands of gallons of water a week!
The Real Deal would be LA clamping down with fines and penalties or we will soon experience "Chinatown" all over again.

 

[randooch]

while middle-class Americans living in luxury may see it as a sweatshop, people with nothing else to do, no food, and no money may see it as a job opportunity [huh] So you can send him back to manual labor on a farm (or to no work at all) because of "principles" or you can buy his hat like you want

That's an interesting take. I think migration to cities and abandonment of farms, the world over, has dire, long term consequences. Nor do I think children in sweatshops asked to be there. And as far as shopping with principles, quote marks or no, I find it hard to assign fault to actions taken with ethics in mind. I haven't had a reply from the company, yet.

I agree with Lefty, though: the logo bites.

 

[jpbales]

you can't rely on government to do everything... or anything for that matter lol if we let supply and demand manage the water, the prices would go up and gas-station attendees would cut down on the water waste. The best part is, you reduce the need for bureaucrats

 

[jpbales]

That's an interesting take. I think migration to cities and abandonment of farms, the world over, has dire, long term consequences. Nor do I think children in sweatshops asked to be there. And as far as shopping with principles, quote marks or no, I find it hard to assign fault to actions taken with ethics in mind. I haven't had a reply from the company, yet.

I'm actually taking a "Politics of Developing Areas" class, and boy are there some complicated issues surrounding development! Everyone wants development, but the path there is debatable- and often long and hard.

I certainly don't mean to attack you or your principles, by the way, I would just like to say that a lot decisions have been made with good principles in mind to help others and have ultimately hurt them- like foreign aid which creates dependency or minimum wages which cause business to lay off workers. Two sides of the coin.

Anyway, I love bantering on and on, but I'll leave this post to the hat at hand

 

[hatflick1]

My Real Deal Tarp Hat arrived almost overnight.
It is light weight, not as heavy as some speculated and I imagined it might be.
The sizing is perfect, a Large, as I wear a 7 3/8.
The logo does not jump out as the first thing you notice. It's sort of tucked away down on one side.
And the brim conforms to shaping.
To me it's a collectible in a world of dwindling natural resources.
If I get any Tarp money from Obama, I may consider purchasing one of the Real Deal tarp bags.

 

[Colby Jack]

That thing is so ugly I gotta get one! Nothin' like good quality sweat shop work!

 

[MattJH]

Would it be too political for me to wonder outloud about the concerns for potential human rights issues from folks wearing fur hats? I do understand that people allowing human rights issues to dictate their purchases aren't necessarily going to care about animal rights, but it's all sort of cut from the same fabric woven from the empathy for other living creatures. This is not an accusation of hypocrisy; rather, it's a request to be educated from what may be my own ignorance.

 

[MattJH]

It's a size Large, so it's a tad snug on me, but hey, it was free!

Well, I emailed them and asked if they'd replace the Large with an Extra Large if I covered shipping and told everyone how awesome they were about it, and they agreed! I received my XL in the mail today and it fits just fine. I have a feeling this may end up being more useful than I previously thought. They were very nice and flexible with me. Anybody get theirs yet?