Bowler/Derby Hats

The Bowler (or derby) hat is a popular style of hat with a rounded crown and a short brim. In 1849 Thomas Coke commissioned the first Bowler hat from Lock & Co. Hatters in London. The gamekeepers on his Holkham Hall Estate had previously worn top hats while riding horseback however they found that low-hanging tree branches would often knock them off their heads. Instead Coke commissioned the Bowler hat to be a close-fitting style hat to help protect his gamekeepers as they rode around his estate. It became a popular style among the working class up until the end of the 19th century. By the 20th century the hat had become a symbol of the middle and upper class in the British Isles. The Bowler has become an iconic style, worn by people such as Charlie Chaplin, Malcom McDowell as Alex in a Clockwork Orange, Oddjob in the James Bond movies, Laurel and Hardy, as well as many other notable celebrities during the 20th century.