“I would say typically rounder faces look better with a flat brim and longer faces look better with a curved one,” says Caroline Hafele, owner of Gem Hats, as she hands me two different shapes to try on. Today, I am building a custom hat at the boutique bar that uses upcycled materials to create personalized designs. Located in LoHi, the store sits perched on the second story, kitty-corner to Bar Taco and William and Graham. The business is celebrating its one-year anniversary this month and couldn’t be happier with how everything is going. “We’ve been packed lately. Lots of appointments for one to two people at a time, but also lots of group bookings for larger parties.”
Hafele comes from a fashion background, and it shows in her well-curated space. The shop is filled with light pouring in from the glass garage doors, mirrors hanging on every wall, hats adorning all the space in between, and the adorable poodle Larry excitedly greeting you the minute you walk in—basically every girl’s dream. Hafele moved to Denver from Mexico City where she worked at a fashion startup. “Mexico City has a big hat culture. They’re even into cowboy hats,” she shares. She continues to infuse these influences into her hats here in Denver and even sources her Panama hats from Becal, Mexico.
The shop mostly operates by appointment (groups of up to six during regular business hours and seven to 12 or 13–20 after hours), but you can also walk in to shop the pre-decorated selection, which also serves as inspiration for those with a custom hat bar appointment. The selection of customizable hats includes wool hats (the most traditional pick, which can shaped the easiest but is too warm for summer), suede hats (which can also be shaped to a lesser extent and are great year-round), and straw hats. They come in all sizes and feature an elastic sweatband for extra comfort. This also ensures your makeup and sweat won’t soak through and stain the hat brim.
Booking with friends is a great idea because there are so many decisions to make throughout the process, and it’s nice to have a trusted sounding board and second opinion. But, if you, like me, book a solo appointment, Hafele does a great job of filling in that position. She is extremely patient as I debate for about 20 minutes on which hat shape to choose. The store offers four: The Flat Brim with a flat brim and pinched crown, The Bolero with a flat top and flat brim, The Western with a pinched crown and curved brim, or The Cowboy with a cattleman crown and curved brim. Finally, I settle on The Western. Its subtly curved brim nods at the cowboy aesthetic I go for on my mountain weekends, while still fitting in at trendy restaurants around the city during the week. I find the fit perfect already, but if you want to curve the brim more or trim it, Hafele is happy to help.
Hefele is even more helpful when deciding between an oat-colored fabric and dark brown. We debate which matches my skin tone better and what makes my hair color pop. Final verdict: dark brown brings out my highlights and matches my wardrobe better (which contains a lot of whites that might clash with oat). I was shocked that so much goes into every decision in the hat-making process, and this was just the beginning.
Decorating the hat offers even more customization—not just in the look, but also in the meaning behind the hat. Choosing between the feathers, Hafele explains that many of her feathers are found and brought to her by returning clients. “See, these are turkey feathers one of my clients found while hiking,” Hafele says, spreading them over the table. The vintage charms are meticulously thrifted by her team and digging through them feels like an antique treasure hunt through time. The leather bands are cut from scrap material and we sort through samples until we find the just right color and texture to match my monochromatic design. To add a pop of color, we wrap upcycled saris around the crown. (There are also available upgrades to add jewelry to the hat with Rose Rust Jewelry’s custom hat bands and hand-embroidered elements.)
Lastly—and my favorite part—we begin branding the hat. “We do a lot of mountains in here,” Hafele says, and my eyes light up. She has stamps like letters, cowboy boots, stars, etc., that can be burned onto the crown, brim, or inside. She can also free-hand designs, like the mountain peaks she is currently burning into my hat. “One of my girls is working on an entire floral garden on the back brim of her hat. And one hat I did had a full octopus covering it,” she says showing me a picture of it on Gem Hat’s Instagram.
She ends every session with care instructions, which, for suede hats, are not that extensive. Use lint roller sheets to remove pet hair, and your complimentary brush to clean it up. “The suede hats are water resistant in light rain or snow, but avoid heavy showers,” she adds. Wool hats shouldn’t be left in hot cars because they may lose their shape. Storing hats crown down helps maintain shape as well. And you can always book a service appointment to have your hat cleaned up, or even redecorated.
With my custom hat in hand (or, more accurately, on head) and a newfound appreciation for the craft, I can’t help but tip my hat to Caroline Hafele—for her artistry, her passion, and for creating a space where every piece becomes a personal masterpiece.
