The Headwear Association Announces 2013 Headwear Hall of Fame

 

(LOS ANGELES – October 25, 2012) The Headwear Association (THA) has announced the inductees for the 2013 Headwear Hall of Fame.          

            

This year’s honors go to Tom Waits, Hugh Jackman, Rachel Zoe and Nicole Kidman. Cary Grant and Josephine Baker will be inducted posthumously.

 

 

“Each year, the 104-year-old Headwear Association selects individuals renowned for wearing hats with signature style. The six chosen to be inducted into the 2013 Headwear Hall of Fame are all known for frequently wearing hats and have all elevated the visibility of the headwear category,” said THA President, Stephanie Carter.

The 2013 THA Headwear Hall of Fame Inductees are as follows:

Cary Grant is the definition of debonair and is considered by many fashion arbiters as the best-dressed man of all time. And in spite of the fact that Cary Grant had been known to say that he had a big head and did not look good in hats, The Headwear Association and legions of fans beg to differ. THA honors this legendary gentlemen’s style with a Hall of Fame nod.

Tom Waits wears hats with a derelict panache. He is dangerously stylish and hats have been an integral part of his rock and roll rogue look for decades. We are long-time fans of his music and his unique renegade style, which always includes a hat.

Multi-talented Aussie Hugh Jackman wears many hats – literally and figuratively. Known not only for his film roles, Jackman is a critically acclaimed musical theatre stage actor as well, and his debut as Jean Valjean in the upcoming film Les Miserables is anxiously anticipated by critics and fans alike.  Mr. Jackman is a long-time hat aficionado, and his style is oft imitated. Jessen Fitzpatick, owner of Salamgundi a well known hat store in Boston says, “Our most frequent hat request is for the ‘Hugh Jackman Hat,’ customers come in often with photos of Jackman, hoping to emulate his style.” His outback hat, worn in the film Australia, as well as the fedoras and straw panamas Jackman wears off screen helped clinch his Hall of fame nod.

 

Josephine Baker was an international musical and political icon, known for her risqué performances, and spectacular fashions and headwear.  She was also the first African-American female to star in a major motion picture, Zouzou, and she went on to become a noted Civil Rights activist in the U.S. THA recognizes her accomplishments, daring fashion sense and magnificent hats with a posthumous induction to the Hall of Fame.

 

Celebrity stylist and fashion designer, Rachel Zoe, calls herself “a lifelong devotee to hat design.”  And her love of headwear is apparent in her everyday style statements as she rotates a steady succession of floppies, panamas, fedoras and beanies in her wardrobe. Ms. Zoe has not only styled her clients, husband Rodger and son Skyler in hats, but she has included hats on the runway in her own Rachel Zoe signature collection. She has increased the visibility of headwear remarkably over the past few years and we thank her by naming her to our Headwear Hall of Fame.

Nicole Kidman has been wearing hats for years, but not solely to make a fashion statement. The fair-skinned beauty is a fan of wide-brimmed hats, and wears them to protect her skin from sun damage. Her best friend, actress Naomi Watts, has said “Nicole won’t cross the street without a hat.” “Ms. Kidman’s ever-present sun hat helps spread an important message about sun protection,” said THA President, Stephanie Carter. “Hats are integral in the fight against melanoma and she adds such visibility to this message. We are thrilled to add Nicole Kidman to the Headwear Hall of Fame.”

Members of The Headwear Association nominated more than 50 legendary hat wearers, living and deceased. The Headwear Association board of directors voted and approved the final six inductees who will be formally inducted into The Headwear Hall of Fame at the 105^th annual THA Gala at The Central Park Boathouse on April 18, 2013.

The THA Headwear Hall of Fame now totals 30 stylish individuals: Fred Astaire, LL Cool J, Kid Rock, Victoria Beckham, Lady Gaga, Marlene Dietrich, Carlos Santana, Payne Stewart, Ne-Yo, Cameron Diaz, Aretha Franklin, Gwen Stefani, Frank Sinatra, Brad Pitt, Humphrey Bogart, Audrey Hepburn, Sarah Jessica Parker, Jennifer Lopez, Samuel L. Jackson, Johnny Depp, Vince Lombardi, Jackie Kennedy, Madonna and Princess Diana.

 

 

 

Here is a look at the previous Headwear Hall of Fame inductees:

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The THA is a 104-year old trade association, the oldest in the fashion industry.

Our birth was a chance meeting of traveling hat salesmen in 1907 who had just finished their seasonal selling trips in NYC. The first dinner was held at the Waldorf Astoria (then on 34th Street) on January 30, 1908 with 34 industry members present.

 

Our mission is to promote hats and the headwear industry throughout the world, and to foster goodwill and fellowship among those engaged in the headwear industry.

The 105th annual THA Gala will be held at The Central Park Boathouse on April 18, 2013, and is open to anyone in the fashion and headwear industry.

For more information about The Headwear Association and

The Headwear Hall of Fame visit www.theheadwearassociation.org

 or contact Jill Hammer at jill@hammerink.com.