Story
"The Cajun Hatter"
Imagine life as it was for the early Cajuns in the 1800s, exiled from your land, separated from family and friends, and now living in the dense, humid world of the swamps.
Winding your way through hidden waterways and a maze of roots of ancient cypress trees draped in robes of moss, listening to the alligators croak from their dark hiding places, swatting the mosquitos from your face, and eagerly seeking something practical yet strange.
Turning down a narrow bayou, the light thins beneath a canopy of green, as your boat breaks the duckweed in your wake. You find a field of water hyacinth floating on the surface – those delicate flowers of purple with just a touch of yellow – popping up from a carpet of vibrant green, and there, along the edge of the water, is a shack on stilts.
Everyone knows who lives there, and most of them have visited at one time or another. There are nutria furs drying in the sun, along with alligator skins, lined up along the rickety porch. You tie off near his fragile stairway and climb to the shack where the man you seek is sitting in the corner, sipping on rum he’d traded with the pirates in exchange for his wares. He hardly even looks up as you enter, shaping a bit of fur into a desired shape. You catch a glimpse of his eyes beneath his brim as smoke from his corncob pipe hovers in the air. “Welcome,” he says, “have a seat.”
Like the murky water he lives above, this man has secrets of change and transformation flowing through each smooth gesture as he makes something out of seemingly nothing, suddenly sewing with needle and thread, his hand gliding between shadow and light, as gold rings highlight each flick of the wrist.
You’re in the right place, sheltered from the heat and fed by the subtle creative energies within. You feel the history of this place in every stitch, sewn into the rhythm of time, matched by the tapping of the maker’s foot. “This is how hats should be made,” you think to yourself, now sipping on rum from a chipped teacup, probably an old family heirloom. Here, anything is possible, and time is on your side.
In South Louisiana, our creativity is as rich as this pad of shifting mud we call home. There is magic in our humid air and abundance in the waters, winding their way in and out of our collective imaginations. Our music reflects the soul of our blended cultures, while our food reflects the braided paths of ancestors who found themselves called to this wilderness. Our romantic languages float on the tips of tongues while swirled with modern English. And in our modern hat shop, we continue the legacy of those who came before: the pirates, the wanderers, the healers, and the musicians.
We still listen to the whispers of the cypress trees as the wind blows through the moss. We harvest the flowers of the swamp, and weave the golden cotton of our land. We work with nutria fur and age it with Louisiana dirt, burned into place by the fire of Cajun inspiration.
We may be living in the 21st century, but our maker, Colby Hebert, is still drinking rum, smoking on a corncob pipe, and making each hat by hand – no longer isolated by the waterways, but still a living, breathing example of the mystery of the swamp, able to craft something nourished by the waters, tempered by the heat of steam, and fed by a forever fertile imagination.
Enter his shop and discover a world within worlds, one where you get to wear the story, as redefined by you.
We craft conversation starters.
For example, what makes a hat Cajun?
When it comes to our hats, it means far more than “Louisiana Made.” Each hat is a functional expression of Cajun culture, reflecting the rich landscapes that have informed our way of life in South Louisiana, as well as the individual style of the people who call this region home.
Naturally, Cajun culture includes the history of the people who first arrived here in the late 1700s, after being exiled from modern day Nova Scotia. Our brand honors their traditions of resilience, ingenuity, creativity, and zest for life, despite countless hardships; but it also includes the melting pot of other cultures that have blended with the Acadian settlers, from the Native Americans and Spaniards to the West Africans and Germans. Of course, today, when most people think of the Cajuns, their minds instantly go to what I call the “trinity of Cajun preservation:” music, language, and food. However, our Swamp Chic style, handmade on the bayou and coined in 2016, is just as relevant to this evolving identity.
Our custom hats are inspired directly by the individuals we design them for; yet each one is also a representation of South Louisiana. We offer nutria fur felt, from “the beaver of the swamps,” as well as hat bands locally crafted from Louisiana alligator and our native Acadian brown cotton. Some of our hats are even distressed with mud from a sugarcane field, or dyed with native flowers plucked fresh from the wilderness. In this way, we hope to instill further pride in the individual, who is then able to say, “yes, this is where I come from and these are the emblems of my culture and my state.”
Our hope is that each Cajun hat we create becomes part of the greater effort to redefine Cajun identity for the next generation. Together with local celebrities and other artisans, we are working to promote, preserve, and continue this legacy of swamp culture and Gulf Coast grit. And by reflecting the abundance of South Louisiana, highlighting her flora and fauna through our heirloom quality products, we wish to introduce more people to our way of life while giving a gentle nod to the fishermen, farmers, explorers, and trappers who helped us create one of the most unique places to live in the world.
Merci beaucoup and laissez les bon temps rouler!
Colby Hébert
Our History
Our story begins in New Iberia, LA.
After working for some time in the film industry, both as an actor as well as a costumer in the wardrobe department, Colby Hébert had an epiphany. While he’d always had a passion for design, clothing and even hats, it wasn’t until that day in 2015 that he decided to change course and begin his training as a hat maker. The only problem? As a young man in South Louisiana, there weren’t exactly schools or apprenticeships available for him to learn the craft. So, as any Cajun might do, he decided to teach himself.
Driven by a passion to learn and an insatiable curiosity, Hébert embarked on an extensive trial and error experience in the pursuit of making hats. And once he’d gotten the gist of it, he began to fine tune that process with the help of mentors he picked up along the way. He was absolutely determined to explore his creativity through the high craft of hat making, and in 2016, he opened his first shop, Colby Hébert Chapeaux, on Church Alley in New Iberia – his hometown.
For the next year, he continued to perfect his craft as he took on clients around Cajun Country, making custom hats for men and women alike. Yet even Hébert was surprised when he realized that he would be able to achieve a major milestone far sooner than anticipated: move the business to New Orleans. Settling in on Magazine Street, he rebranded himself as The Cajun Hatter and found himself working with countless tourists, plenty of locals, and a handful of major celebrities as he elevated his craftsmanship as well as the quality of his bespoke products, albeit with a Delta edge.
There in the Crescent City, he soon discovered that he was serving as an ambassador for Cajun culture, explaining the music, food, and style distinctive to the smaller cities and towns outside of New Orleans to the inquiring individuals who often wandered into his shop. And somewhere in that blur of conversation, Hébert realized that his deep connections to Acadiana offered the defining characteristics of his hats. Suddenly, he wanted to dive even deeper into the aesthetics of Cajun culture, to capture the essence of the swamps, and design his own personal interpretation of the history, language, landscapes, and people of New Iberia and the surrounding areas. He called it “Swamp Chic,” quite literally bringing elements of the swamp into the high fashion world.
However, with this dedication to Cajun culture and his desire to tell a new story informed by the layers of its history, came another problem. Hébert realized that in order to reconnect with his roots on an even deeper level, he would need to leave New Orleans and return to Acadiana. That’s why he is currently smack dab in the middle of Cajun preservation efforts with his flagship store in Lafayette, Louisiana, actively collaborating with others equally determined to preserve the history of Cajun culture, utilize local resources and tell the story of our ancestors. He’s simply doing it one hat at a time.
The Experience
Welcome to Cajun Country.
From the moment you walk into The Cajun Hatter, you are immersed in a completely different environment than the one you might expect. Ready-to-wear hats line the walls, in both fur felt and straw options, beckoning you to try them on. There are fur felt color charts on the table, inviting you to open your imagination and create your own personal hat. There’s even local music resonating throughout the storefront, almost asking you to dance in front of the mirror as you try on various styles. But what truly captures your attention is that you’re being welcomed into a Cajun swamp.
There are Cypress knees in the window, a stuffed raccoon in the corner, and Spanish moss hanging from select locations. There’s even a wooden boat leaning into a corner, as well as a small red Acadian-style house, with Nutria fur nailed on a post, begging you to pet it. As you walk around to the other side, deeper into the store, you notice an elegant sitting area with mounted deer on the wall and plenty of local rum as the smell of incense hovers in the air. This isn’t just any old hat shop: this is the Cajun version.
From there, a client eager to have a custom hat made to their exact specifications will sit down with either Hébert or an associate to begin the design process. Important discussions will commence on hair and eye color, face shape and physique, proportions, skin tone, and preferred color palette. Ready-to-wear hats might be studied to determine the desired style, while color charts for nutria fur or alligator skin are carefully examined. Then there are the “je ne sais quoi” elements that bring additional character to any hat: distressing with mud or fire, accenting with stitching, creating custom beaded bands, or picking out the perfect charm, pendant, or feather. Anything is possible, as each custom hat is a reflection of the individual as well as their geography.
Once the vision is in hand and the concept solidified, Hébert puts the wheels into motion so that the intention can then manifest as a physical hat. The goal is always to create a work of art that is both functional and long lasting, while embracing the personal stye and flair of each client. A hat made of European hare can last for a decade with regular wear, while a fur felt made of beaver or nutria can outlast its owner. Such creations are the exact opposite of fast fashion, making them more meaningful to the wearer, less damaging to the earth, and able to be passed on to the next generation; but it all starts right here in the hat shop, over a teacup of rum, with a delightful conversation.
The Process
The work of a local artisan.
Every hat that leaves The Cajun Hatter has been made by hand, using the same wooden tools and techniques that have defined hatmaking for centuries. Fur felts and straws alike are steamed into submission, then molded into the necessary shape after being measured to the proper size of each client. From there, the magic can begin. All four elements are utilized in the creation of our Cajun hats: steam, fire, earth, and air. Desired intentions are written in the sweatbands before they are carefully sewn into place. Vintage ribbons are gathered from antique suitcases and affixed along the crown. Removable bands of alligator skin or Acadian brown cotton are added when requested. Brims can be curled or further embellished with narrow ribbon or fabric for a touch of added elegance. Then there are feathers from native and exotic birds, tokens from Louisiana’s past, and other embellishments that can make a hat truly unique. Beaded bands are strung by hand, distressing is done with verve, and sentimental items handed over for our collaboration are handled with the utmost care and consideration. This is how our custom hats are made, as we slowly materialize personal stories into exceptional conversation starters that can be enjoyed for years to come.
Schedule your appointment today by calling 337-703-4736 or email us info@thecajunhatter.com.