Wednesday, February 13, 2013

ZZ WARD for Broner Fedora Collection Now in Stores

Since her debut at South by Southwest less than a year ago, ZZ Ward has released her debut CD ‘Til the Casket Drops, appeared on Conan O’Brien and Jay Leno, and sold out dozens of shows across the U.S. 
 
And now she is adding another accomplishment to her impressive list of firsts – Fashion Designer.  ZZ WARD for Broner Hats, her official fedora collection, hits stores this week.
 

 
  
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 



ZZ has been a longtime fan of Broner Hats, a Detroit-based company that has been making hats since 1933. She approached Broner about creating a signature Fedora for her and her fans.

 
 
 
 



















Rarely seen without her signature fedora, ZZ has been sporting hats 

since she was ten-years old and singing the blues with her father.

 
ZZ Ward, ten-years old
@ZZWARD Instagram
Her closet is brimming with fedoras that she has collected over the years, but this is the first time she has thrown her hat into the ring as a designer.
 
@ZZWARD Instagram
"Growing up with a heavy appetite for the blues, I found myself being somewhat of a hat connoisseur," said Ward. The eyes are the windows to the soul, but under the brim of a fedora they remain a mystery.  It has always been a dream of mine to design my own signature collection.  I am so excited to announce the creation of my first hat line with Broner. Fedoras for that everyday dirty shine. Gritty, sultry, authentic."
 


“We are thrilled to be working with ZZ Ward,” said Bob Broner, Owner, Broner Hats. “We are huge fans of her music, and there is really no woman out there right now who wears a fedora better than ZZ. The collaboration has been so much fun and ZZ has an amazing eye as a designer.  She knew exactly what she wanted and we are very proud of the ZZ WARD for Broner Hats collection,” said Broner.
 
ZZ designed a wool felt fedora with a 2-inch brim and a ribbon hat band with a subtly embossed ZZ WARD logo. She worked with Broner designers to create a signature ZZ WARD Ace of Spades card which is included with each fedora.  Each fedora in the ZZ WARD for Broner collection is hand-blocked in the U.S.A.
 
 

 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
 
The Fedoras are available in Plum, Chocolate Brown and Black and retail for $75 at shows and $85 online.
 
ZZ premiered her ZZ WARD for Broner Fedora on Conan and now the line is available at her live shows, on zzward.com and at hatsinthebelfry.com.  Hats in the Belfry is also carrying the collection at their Philadelphia store location.
 
To view the complete ZZ WARD for Broner hat collection, click here.
 
ZZ Ward kicked off her 2013 tour on January 30th in Aspen. For a complete list of tour dates check out ZZ Ward’s website zzward.com/shows/index.html or her official Facebook page here.  Follow ZZ on Twitter @ZZWARD.
 
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The Headwear Association Names Kate Moss Hat Person of the Year

For the second year in a row, a Brit named Kate has snagged the title of Hat Person of the Year.

Congratulations to Kate Moss, who was named Hat Person of the Year by The Headwear Association (THA).  Last year’s winner was the Duchess of Cambridge, Kate Middleton.





In an online poll, Kate Moss received 40% of the vote, narrowly edging out Bruno Mars, who nabbed 38%.  With only 14% of the online vote, this may be the only award that Anne Hathaway did not receive this year. Tim McGraw and Samuel L. Jackson each received 4% of the votes.
 
 
This is the fourth annual THA Hat Person of the Year Award.  Past winners include Kate Middleton, Johnny Depp and Brad Pitt.
 
Kate Moss’ oft-imitated London street style is legendary, and she is well known for her love of hats.
 
Hats off to you, Ms. Moss. Your style is impeccable.
 
 
 
 


 
 
 

 
 



 
 
 
 
 
 

America's Oldest Hat Maker, Bollman Hat Company, Celebrates 145 Years

When George Bollman started a hat company in Adamstown, Pennsylvania in 1868, there were dozens of small hat makers in Lancaster and Berks County Pennsylvania. Production began with men’s black hats in a rented building which was previously used as a distillery. During that first year, sixty people were employed and they produced an average of seven hundred and twenty hats daily. George may not have dreamed that his hat company would out-live his local competitors, let alone actually become America’s oldest hat maker.
 
Now, one hundred and forty five years and tens of thousands of employees later, Bollman Hat Company is known throughout the world for its industry leading quality and innovation as well as its collection of headwear’s top brands. These brands include Bailey®, Helen Kaminski®, Kangol®, Betmar®, Country Gentleman®, Ignite®, Pantropic®, Eddy Bros® and Plaza Suite®. Since its inception, Bollman has continually created private label designs for the world’s leading apparel brands, outdoor brands and retailers.
 
Bollman hats have covered many Hollywood actors from Humphrey Bogart to Fred Astaire and from Samuel L. Jackson to Nicole Kidman; musicians from Run DMC to Eminem and from Pete Townsend to Ne-Yo; athletes from Michael Jordan to Donovan McNabb and from Chi Chi Rodriguez to Jimmy Rollins.
 
Bollman has launched a heritage collection of women’s hats to commemorate its 145th anniversary. This collection features one hat for each decade from 1860 to present and joins a men’s heritage collection which was created five years ago.

Take a journey through the history of women’s hats with the Bollman 145th anniversary collection.
 
 
Each decade from more than 145 years is represented by a historically appropriate hat style, each of which was made by Bollman Hat Company in Adamstown, PA, USA. The collection is accompanied by a Certificate of Authenticity and presented in special Anniversary edition hat boxes.

Here is a look at some of our favorites from the collection.

Bollman Heritage Collection 1890s Boater



In the 1890s, women's clothing styles shed some of the extravagances of previous decades. The flat-top, wide-brim style demonstrated in this Boater was the perfect accent for these styles - a conservative shape with just the right amount of flair. A gold felt with a tonal fabric rosette, matching band and a large ostrich feather elegantly match the style of this century.

 
Bollman Heritage Collection 1910s Toque


During the early 1910s, the fashionable silhouette became much more soft and fluid than in the 1900s. During the years that World War I was fought, more women were forced to work outside the home and thus their fashion styles changed dramatically from past decades. Women's fashion demanded tailored suits and shirtwaists. Large hats with wide brims and broad hats with face-shadowing brims were the height of fashion before the outbreak of World War I in 1914. During the war, the styles gradually shrunk to smaller brimless hats like the Toque. This Toque in royal blue features a brushed finish and a brooch that matches the style for the 1910 decade.
 
 
Bollman Heritage Collection 1930s Aviator


While Lindbergh gained popularity for making the first solo non-stop flight across the Atlantic Ocean in 1927, the country also fell in love with the second person to do so, Amelia Earhart. Women's fashion became more conservative in cut and color. The simple clean lines of the Aviator demonstrate the understated, less baroque designs influenced by the somber times of the Great Depression. At the same time, the hat still possesses an understated charm. The Bollman aviator style is soft and clean with a stick pearl pin to hold the hat in place.

Check out the entire Bollman Heritage collection. It’s quite impressive. http://www.hats.com/p/288492/Bollman-Heritage-Complete-Collection.aspx