Wow! Now we're very excited about this hat!  A classic hand-brushed 100% Beaver Fedora that is also “Packable” hand made to order for you by us!
 

That's right. "Packable". That is, you can literally roll it up in your suitcase, luggage, backpack, or purse, and it will “magically” open back up to its original cool and beautiful shaping! And the classic grosgrain hatband also doubles as a "holding strap" to keep the hat packed up snugly until you need it!

We call this Baron Hat exclusive the "New Wave” (“La Nouvelle Vague”). It is our homage to both the best in our impulsive, and fearlessly adventurous nature, and as a “tip of the hat” to our new French family and company.

Baron’s is continually expanding, and we recently created a subsidiary company in Paris, France called Baron Hats Paris, SaRL (SaRL being their version of “Inc.” or “LLP”). We will be offering many of our special hats, including some styles exclusively for the European market, from our headquarters nestled just a few blocks from the famous Avenue des Champs-Elysées.

This will also allow us to be right “in the action” both in being inspired by the newest in European styles and techniques and creating new Baron product for the world market.

The idea for the "New Wave” came to us on one of our first visits to Paris to talk about our new co-venture. We had brought a line of our best hats with us, and although they were shipped carefully, were horrified when we unpacked them, and found they had been crushed beyond recognition while in transit! It was then and there that we decided we needed to create a high-quality hat that could withstand such a journey intact! “Packable” hats have been around for years, but most of them are made of synthetic fabrics or lower grade blends. We wanted to create a hat out of the highest grade fur available – 200XXX 100% Beaver.

It took a lot of experimentation and trial and error, but we finally developed a very special hat body… extremely unique in that it is crafted from “Ultra-Lite” pure virgin 100% Beaver fur. This allows for a magnificent hat with a luxurious “hand” (the feel of the fur), that could also be “packable”.

Our French counterparts have become an integral part of our own Baron family, both professionally and personally. When the grand patriarch of our new Paris “ménage” was about to celebrate a milestone birthday, we wanted to give him something that would express not only our admiration, but honestly, to show the kind of quality hats that carry the “Baron” name. And quality is something we knew was of paramount importance to the extremely fastidious French!

Needless to say, the hat itself had to be something extraordinary. Very European, yet still have the “flavor” of Baron's good ‘ol USA. The great French classic “À Bout de Souffle” (“Breathless”), directed by Jean-Luc Godard immediately came to mind.

Not only because it was such a very French cutting edge, ground-breaking motion picture, bringing what was called the "New Wave" (“La Nouvelle Vague”) style of filmmaking into fashion, but also because of the striking image of the very French movie star Jean-Paul Belmondo wearing his classic “street fedora”, while being worshiped by the stunning and very American movie star Jean Seberg!
 

In order to create the very special "Packable" quality of the "New Wave", the hat itself is structured with a special block technique. Therefore it does not require the standard sweatband or lining of traditional hats, and allows it to be packed away without disrupting the crown and brim shaping.

To hold the hat in its packable shape, the classic grosgrain ribbon hatband has been specially constructed so that it can be used as a "holding strap" for the rolled hat! (See "Flash" below). 

The "New Wave" is made only in the high quality "Ultra-Lite" Beaver, and is being offered at a special 50th Anniversary Tribute Price that even a man (or woman) on the run could afford! And speaking of women... the classic styling of this cool fedora looks just as good on the heads of men and women alike, and speaks volumes of their own iconoclastic, individualistic, if not downright existential lifestyle! It is the kind of hat that can be worn both for everyday use, or for a night on the town, or that red carpet appearance at your next awards ceremony. And being packable you can keep it in your sports car, or pack it for your trip to Cannes!

We are offering the "New Wave" in two colors: a lighter "lait au chocolat" (milk chocolate), and a darker "chocolat noir" (dark chocolate). Each hat is custom hand made to order, and comes with our special Lifetime Guarantee and a signed and numbered Certificate of Authenticity.

Each hat takes between six to eight weeks to custom craft for you. And we can ship it all over the United States, and to virtually all countries. You can also order the "New Wave" through our Flex Pay Payment Program, which is four easy monthly payments (can be used only with any major credit cards, not cash, or Pay Pal). The hat goes into production for you just as soon as we receive the first payment (so you don't have to wait the four months to get your hat, it will arrive in the six to eight weeks).