 MASTER
HAT MAKER MARK MEJIA:
BARON HAT'S
“NEW” GENERATION
Baron Hat’s Owner and Master Hollywood Hat maker
Mark Mejia, was born and raised in one of the oldest
neighborhoods in the Southeast section of Los Angeles,
California. His very first memory was of being pushed
in a stroller, through his neighborhood by his mother
and father, totally enthralled with the old cars
driving up and down the streets, and men and
women walking around on the sidewalks in amazing
costumes of the 1930’s. And even then, he was totally
spellbound by the incredible hats!
No, Mark isn’t that old! His neighborhood was actually
being used for a movie set, and the cars were props
and all the people were actors! This was the beginning
of a life-long love affair with hats… and Hollywood.
As the years went by, Mark grew up seeing all kinds
of wonderful Hollywood productions, both from TV
and Motion Pictures shot in and around his neighborhood.
Since the buildings, homes, even the street lamps
on his streets hadn’t changed since they were built
in the early 1900's, it was a favorite natural “backlot”
for Hollywood movie-makers, and Mark couldn’t get
enough of it. He began getting very friendly with
the crews, and learned how to read their daily “cast
and crew lists” which let him know what movies were
being shot, and where they were going to be shooting
in the days ahead.
When he was old enough, and the locations where
close enough, Mark would join them throughout the
city from location to location. When the locations
were further away, sometimes Mark would convince
his Father or a Cousin or Uncle to take him. And
when he got older, he'd walk all the way himself,
or take his bike, or the bus. And all the while…
the amazing period hats that
the actor’s wore became an almost obsession with
him. This culminated in one of his most treasured
memories that was to change Mark's life forever.
He had followed the crew of the Universal Studios
Academy Award ™ winning motion picture “The Sting”
from his own streets to the pier in Santa Monica.
The crews knew him by now, and let Mark hang close
by to watch the production. While shooting in the
famed indoor Merry-Go-Round, Mark started talking
to one of the set costumers about the Fedora Robert
Redford was wearing. His knowledge and understanding
of the style of the hats of that period was amazing,
and he preceded to give everyone an earful of what
he knew. The crew loved it! At one point, during
a break in filming, someone put Redford's hat on
Mark's head, and let him "wear" it for
just a moment. Mark carefully took the hat off,
and marveled at the amazing feel of the high-quality
fur felt, the curves and "dimples" in
the crown, and the shaping of the brim. One of the
crew was delighted to see how Mark carefully made
a little adjustment to the crown, to bring it back
to the shape it was when the scene began! And as
an extra added bonus, when they wrapped for the
day, Redford walked past him and gave him his trademark
wink! It was either just a friendly "hello",
or, as Mark likes to believe, perhaps a "thank
you" for "fixing" his hat! Feeling
that magical addictive energy of showbiz, Mark made
up his mind then and there that he would become
the world’s greatest hatter... to become Hollywood's
Hatmaker®!
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Mark continued to study the art of hat making,
along with reading everything he could 
on the subject. After school, a fortuitous
meeting with an old friend sent Mark to the
enchanting town of Montecristi, Ecuador, to
look into the amazing art of Panama hats,
which were only made in the region from indigenous
palms. Mark was spellbound by the weave of
these hats, a weave that felt like silk and
linen, yet were woven by hand from the local
palm leaves. 
These were hats that also lasted for generations
without losing shape or color! He spent almost
a year learning the craft himself working
with the local craftsmen, and in the process
created his own Panama Hat Company, “DeMarco
Montecristi”, which imported these rare and
incredible hats, many of which took months
to make, to the United States. In the process
he also fell in love with the idea of making
his own hats. It was then and there in the
enchanting hills of Montecristi, that Mark
made up his mind to move back to Hollywood,
and fulfill his life-long dream… of being
“Hollywood’s Hatmaker®”.
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in Hollywood, Mark realized that if he really
wanted to know about the craft of making the
best hand-made hats in the world, and learning
the trade of "Master Hat Maker",
he had to learn from the absolute very, very
best in the business. That was an easy choice.
For in Hollywood, for almost half a century,
there was really only one name synonymous
with Master Hat Making and Hollywood. And
that was Eddie Baron. Mustering up all the
courage he could, Mark went to see Eddie at
his shop in Burbank, and asked if he could
work for him, and possibly become an apprentice.
Eddie, known for his extreme independence,
actually was at a point in his life when he
really wanted to find someone to pass almost
fifty years of hat making experience onward.
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Seeing
something special in Mark, Eddie agreed,
and for several years, Mark worked at
Eddie’s side, day and night, learning
everything he could about the craft
of hat making, in the very studio where
so many of Hollywood’s most famous hats
were crafted.
Mark
especially loved working with the “blocks”…
those specially crafted wood “busts”
of some of the most famous actors in
the world, who would have their hats
made no place else but at Baron Hats,
both for their films, and for their
personal wear. The Baron studios had
one of the largest collection of these
celebrity blocks in the world, and Mark
loved to go into the back room and inspect
them for hours, marveling at the workmanship
and history! Several years later, satisfied
that Mark was
serious, and truly had the “heart” and
skill of a master Hatmaker, Eddie made
a deal to let Mark purchase both the
studio, all its goods (including those
priceless celebrity blocks!), along
with the legendary name of Baron Hats.
They are huge shoes to fit, what with
Baron Hats having been the cornerstone
for most of the famous hats in Hollywood.
Since Mark bought the business, the legend continues. A new generation of filmmakers have discovered Baron Hats, and hundreds of movies, TV series, commercial,
and some of the biggest Rock Videos seek his unique craftsmanship.
People come from all over the world, from
the most famous celebrities, to "just
plain folk" who want only the best to
put on their heads.
Without the passion that Mark has spent a life cultivating to his craft, the legend and secret craft of Eddie Baron may have been lost forever. Mark realizes that he has a staggering responsibility to keep the legend alive. But for all those who have worked with him, and seen the product of his studio… they know that Eddie made the right choice!
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Listen to
Baron Hats' Owner and
Master Hat Maker MARK MEJIA'S,
LATEST RADIO INTERVIEW
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