“I spent over a decade looking for the ‘right’ hat. You don’t have to wait so long.”

How I got here

I started searching for my first fur felt hat when I was nineteen.

I spent weeks walking into different shops, scanning every aisle, wall, and shelf for the “right” one. Every time I picked up a hat I liked, my imagination took over— I’d picture myself as the hero of my own story, traveling somewhere new and stepping into a bold new chapter. But the moment I brought the hat to my head in front of a mirror, the movie stopped abruptly. The hero vanished, replaced by an ill-fitting hat or a silhouette that felt off in ways I didn’t yet have the words to explain.

Exhausted by the search, I convinced myself to settle for “this works.” On my next shop visit, I went straight for a classic black fur felt cattleman crown. It was sold out in my size. Agonized by the thought of starting over, I trusted a salesperson who assured me a smaller size would stretch to fit my head over time. It didn’t. The hat remained too tight to wear comfortably, sitting in my closet instead of living out the adventures I’d envisioned.

Years later, still carrying that sense of dissatisfaction, I made a point to try on hats whenever I traveled. Everything changed when I stumbled into a custom hat studio. Listening to a proper hatter— not just a reseller— explain how crown shapes and brim lengths interact with facial structure was a revelation. They could clearly build a beautiful hat but never asked me anything— not what I'd wear it with, not where I'd wear it, not what I wanted it to say. It was a sale, not a fitting. I walked out with a handful of hatbands instead.

Back home, I spent hours mixing and matching. I was fascinated by how a simple band could drastically transform a hat’s character and the outfits it paired with. Soon, my obsession with accessories left me with a drawer full of adornments and not enough hats to wear them on. Knowing more meant I couldn't settle for less, so I set back out to find real candidates.

My search eventually led me to another hat studio where the hatter asked the right questions. They gave me real say over the shape— brim length, silhouette, accessories. What they couldn't give me was the felt colors I wanted. They built from pre-blocked hats, and in my size there was one color to choose from. I loved what they made, but I knew it still wasn't the one- and that gap is what sent me looking for raw felt of my own.

I dove headfirst into the history of hatmaking, tore apart my hats to study their construction, and acquired raw felt bodies. I quickly learned that shaping felt requires far more steam, strength, and sweat than I had imagined. When I started working on my very first self-made hat, it was meant to be a sample with no real blueprint, just a proof of concept. It sat on my workbench with a plain open crown and flat brim for days. Then, just for fun, I shaped a Gus crown— a bold statement that looks pretty wild on a wide, flat brim. When I put it on, I laughed, but something about it felt right.

Next came the brim. I initially shaped it the “safe” way, but the long, soft angle didn’t complement my frame at all. Taking a leap of faith, I raised the sides dramatically and deepened the dip in the front and back. I put it on, looked in the mirror, and the search that started at nineteen was finally over. I hadn’t just found my hat— I had crafted it.

A hat isn’t just an accessory; it’s the most personal piece you can wear. That’s why I built the ALTA AURA Experience. Today, I craft every hat knowing that fit is only part of what makes it great: the colors must complement your complexion, the proportions must balance your facial structure, and the hat should embody who you are for every occasion. I spent over a decade searching for a hat that elevated my style and allowed me to be unapologetically myself— you don’t have to wait as long.