even better they’re sustainable too…
Bucket hats: a universal style of hat that can amplify any outfit. There are so many brands creating bucket hats at the moment, but who is doing it in a truly unique and sustainable way?
Introducing re/lax remade, a small label from Australia who uses vintage towels to create handmade, one-of-a-kind hats.
Read on to uncover her inspiration and some inside scoops on her process.
Over to Karina…
Where did the initial idea to create such beautifully crafted bucket hats come from?
When I was a kid in the 80s, my dad and grandpa lived in floral terry towelling hats which they bought for $5 from the chemist. They were iconic. And not just in my family, they were a quintessentially Aussie style in the 70s and 80s. I have always collected and used vintage homewares and found myself with a beautiful collection of vintage bath towels in my home. They reminded me of the hats, so I put two and two together and started experimenting! I wanted to create something with better sun protection than the original (which had a super narrow brim), using existing materials, but preserving the same relaxed vibe. The raw edges of my hats were inspired by how worn out my dad’s original hats had become over the years! They all have raw brims just by being worn to threads! So the first hat I made, I made for my dad.
Bucket hats are one of my personal favourite style of hats as they can go with everything! what is your favourite bucket hat design you have?
I have seven designs now! Three broad brim, one mid brim, one narrow brim, and two kids’ styles. My favourite is probably the Duke, which is the narrow brim style most similar to my dad’s original. It’s super easy wear, I often forget it’s on my head! I also really love my newest style, which I haven’t released yet. It’s called Freya, and it has a broad brim with extra shaggy edges. I will be releasing these in the next couple of months, I’m just finalising the pattern now.
Sustainability is such a ‘fashionable’ convo starter at the moment, why was it important for you to focus on upcycling vintage towels to create your pieces?
It was super important for me to not bring anything “new” into the world, when there is so much of everything out there already. We are drowning in stuff! Textile waste is a huge problem for our planet. Plus, I have always just really loved old stuff! When I was little, I wanted to be an archaeologist – nothing excited me more than finding old things! I still feel that way in the shops. Discovering old things and reimagining them as beautiful objects for use in today’s world definitely drives my business.
What are your main inspirations for colours, textures and designs for your collection?
I’m all about texture! My favourite towels are ones on which the patterns are created by the texture of the weave. And colour – I just love colour, especially warm 70s colours. The more colour, the better!
We are super excited to see your next drop on your website in March, what can you share about the upcoming collection with us and what date will it be available?
For each collection I just go with my gut and choose the towels that excite me the most in that moment. The March drop is super colourful! I chose these towels in the height of Sydney summer, so they have a really laid-back, beachy vibe. These will be released on my website towards the end of March, date TBC (I will release the date on IG as soon as I know!). I have a huge collection of towels, so selecting them for each collection is one of the most fun parts of what I do. The following collection will be more earthy and mellow, with the towels selected as the weather started to turn.
You can shop re/lax remade here
