Why This Hatmaker Sets Fire to His $950 Felt Masterpieces

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  • čas přidán 17. 02. 2016
  • Nov. 10 -- In Venice, California, Nick Fouquet designs and builds custom headgear from raw materials. He makes each by hand, as requested by a client roster that includes celebrities like Pharrell and Anne Hathaway. No two hats are the same, but each is made with the best materials, using techniques that have been perfected for centuries. (Video by Zach Goldstein and Brian Schildhorn)
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Komentáře • 485

  • @michaelc.gilbert6770
    @michaelc.gilbert6770 Před 6 lety +327

    I was going to buy one of these, but Fouquet.

  • @RenegadeTimes
    @RenegadeTimes Před 4 lety +15

    Nothing is more satisfying than an artist satisfied and fulfilled with his art. Beautiful.

  • @GlenCocopuffs
    @GlenCocopuffs Před 6 lety +608

    “Hats are the pinnacle of elegance” - guy wearing a wifebeater

    • @HoustonWadeCompton
      @HoustonWadeCompton Před 5 lety +46

      Is he about to wear a three piece suit in a workshop or??? 😂

    • @blahblah60
      @blahblah60 Před 5 lety +1

      Theyre comfy no denying that

    • @LamVanDam
      @LamVanDam Před 5 lety +3

      @@HoustonWadeCompton Hannibal Lector wears a three piece suit under his murder suit.

    • @elcatrinc1996
      @elcatrinc1996 Před 5 lety +1

      what the fuck is a wifebeater ¿?

    • @gustavogonzalez5815
      @gustavogonzalez5815 Před 4 lety +2

      I’ll excuse myself thank you very much though “wife beater?” It’s called professionally as an athletic, sleeveless, A-shirt, tee, or tank underwear. How non-knowledgeable.

  • @AbdullahQ1993
    @AbdullahQ1993 Před 5 lety +184

    To all the people calling this overrated and overpriced: there are many people, like myself, who choose to own a few handcrafted, high quality pieces over many mass-produced cheap products that deteriorate fast and don’t quite fit perfectly.
    So if you’re a craftsperson who has a passion for making anything, please do, because I, and many others, will find value in your work.

    • @johncenarockz
      @johncenarockz Před 5 lety +3

      Abdullah I completely agree

    • @matthoward5886
      @matthoward5886 Před 5 lety +21

      Being someone who makes hats I can agree with you..but when you are doing a show piece on a video you should make sure the ribbon covers the sweatband stitching. You also make the sweatband fit the customers head..not just wrap it around inside a blocked hat. This was laughable at best

    • @adamnagy1832
      @adamnagy1832 Před 5 lety +5

      Paying the extra bucks for better quality, custom fit and handcrafted is justifiable. In this case you're paying extra because it's art.

    • @beccareul
      @beccareul Před 5 lety +6

      It just makes you sound pretentious because frankly there’s no reason on gods green earth why a hat should cost $1000 ever, well unless perhaps you’re having one made for a royal wedding or going to the Kentucky derby.

    • @Murtagh653
      @Murtagh653 Před 4 lety +4

      akubra and other large scale manufacturers such as stetson have the same or better quality and theres the added bonus that they cost a fraction of the price, you could just buy one from a company and customise it yourself for 5 bucks or less. this guy is lucky that people are dumb and lazy enough to think setting an average hat on fire and sticking a match on it somehow makes it worth more.

  • @gristlevonraben
    @gristlevonraben Před 6 lety +418

    They had to age the hat and jacket of Harrison Ford for the Indiana Jones movies. Ford found and helped to create his hat, but forgot to age it. Once on set, he was told it needed to look used, so he crushed it into the white sands under his feet, and then rolled it up a few times, dusted off, reshaped it and was ready to go. The sweat stains came quickly due to the actual weather being warm and standing out in the sun. Though they used three different hats for the movie series, the first movie used the same hat, all stuntmen had hats made into the style Ford helped to create, people who ordered replica hats were very upset that their hats were so much darker than the one in the movie scenes. The actual fix is to literally crush the hat into fine white sand, not cornstarch, sugar or flour, which can rot your hat and destroy it, but instead to take it to a nice white, dry beach, and roll it in the sand, then rub it out and gently put it on, and wear it. Indy's original hat was a darkish brown, turned tan by having fun with it.

    • @albusdumbledore2279
      @albusdumbledore2279 Před 6 lety

      Gristle Von Raben I

    • @Shottyshotgun1
      @Shottyshotgun1 Před 6 lety +10

      Jake Alamo what the fuck is wrong with you mate

    • @Shottyshotgun1
      @Shottyshotgun1 Před 6 lety

      Jake Alamo with the current state of the world, its always best to be naive. im not sure who the director was but im also not sure what the director has to do with ford

    • @leonardusdesignleonardusde3479
      @leonardusdesignleonardusde3479 Před 5 lety

      Gristle Von Raben m

    • @Panda74gofaster
      @Panda74gofaster Před 4 lety +2

      Gristle Von Raben it would be kooler if HF told this story... rather from a third party snitch...

  • @sudonim7552
    @sudonim7552 Před 5 lety +35

    "Yeah can I get my hat uhhhhh medium rare please"

  • @JeremyTalksWitU
    @JeremyTalksWitU Před 6 lety +467

    His hats are thousands of dollars. I just realize that i had no clue what hats cost

    • @Luftbubblan
      @Luftbubblan Před 6 lety +6

      Very uncommon with hats where i live atm. An old friends grandpa made a fortune selling hats back in the days :D

    • @ChapuleTaylor
      @ChapuleTaylor Před 6 lety +21

      You see, hats in TF2 actually aren't that expensive

    • @keshlalish5586
      @keshlalish5586 Před 6 lety +18

      like anything custom handmade.
      from tuxedo to the hat
      but you do get a lot more for the price imho

    • @barberman1087
      @barberman1087 Před 6 lety +27

      If you buy a hat for that price, ether you are insane or you got to much money.

    • @gytisdramblewolfskis8521
      @gytisdramblewolfskis8521 Před 6 lety +1

      if you search in like a supermarket or smth you can probably get really cheap. The ones I find in hat specific, quality shops are minimum like 80.(EU)

  • @helsinki
    @helsinki Před 6 lety +260

    This is so hipster, I grew a twirly mustache watching this.

    • @natedill9180
      @natedill9180 Před 5 lety +3

      Why is this hipster? Why can’t a white person live and work like he is doing?

    • @elcatrinc1996
      @elcatrinc1996 Před 5 lety

      i know, i low how hipster it is

    • @sophiew1967
      @sophiew1967 Před 4 lety

      Me too and I'm a woman ;)

  • @ashleyspiano
    @ashleyspiano Před 7 lety +481

    The beauty of patina is that it's earned through time. Intentionally distressed art annoys me because it's a statement of impatience. It feels so fake.

    • @dobypilgrim6160
      @dobypilgrim6160 Před 6 lety +51

      I hate fake "distressed" anything. You are right. Patina cannot be faked. Truth can't be faked either. These seem like very nice hats. Distressing them - well...

    • @strongyang
      @strongyang Před 6 lety +7

      That's hippie for ya!

    • @brandonkey181
      @brandonkey181 Před 6 lety +3

      Its no, its a style. The compromise of materials, time, and or effort is simply a benefit, and not the purpose.

    • @TheRoadOfLoading
      @TheRoadOfLoading Před 6 lety +16

      actually, distressing with fire to achieve a patina is quite common in shoes, called burnishing. I think a little bit of burnishing on the edge of that hat looks awesome, but a bit too much on the crown

    • @shadowblack1987
      @shadowblack1987 Před 6 lety +6

      Absolutely clueless comment. lol

  • @kasseen
    @kasseen Před 8 lety +326

    The hat looked perfectly fine before he went ahead an burnt the shit

    • @Ketutar
      @Ketutar Před 5 lety +7

      Not really. Had he not burned it, people would see that it's not perfectly fine. Now "it's supposed to be".

    • @DredPirateRoberts
      @DredPirateRoberts Před 5 lety +3

      Theatrics, hollywood isn't that far from Venice

    • @khestal
      @khestal Před 5 lety

      I've no idea what you said, Ketutar.

    • @mikewolf3686
      @mikewolf3686 Před 2 lety +1

      Way better before the fire.

  • @mrvk699
    @mrvk699 Před 5 lety +5

    Killed that hat. One could argue that nothing beats time.

    • @OMGWTFLOLSMH
      @OMGWTFLOLSMH Před 5 lety

      Huh? Celebrities don't have time. They gotta look cool NOW, for 15 minutes, then on to the next thing.

  • @rosemarybloom9851
    @rosemarybloom9851 Před 5 lety +3

    What an inspiring Craftsman! It takes a lot of courage to strike out on your own and start a business like this. I personally love the look of his hats and I like knowing the products he uses are sustainable.

  • @miike111
    @miike111 Před 8 lety +36

    That was a beautiful video about a guy that make hats and with his own style!!! Great work to Zack and Brian, I wish BloomBerg would show more videos like this!!!!!!

  • @jacquinorcross-edwards1861

    I have a collection of hats from ladies leather to wool, casual and dress. Each one is a part of me and I can't think of anything else that is more personal in my wardrobe. This video is so cool I loved watching you work.

  • @SamWinderlich
    @SamWinderlich Před 6 lety +107

    yep, looks like a burnt hat

    • @treatb09
      @treatb09 Před 5 lety +2

      my thoughts too. it was a nice hat, but then you lit it on fire...

    • @GraphicArtist115
      @GraphicArtist115 Před 4 lety

      @@treatb09 lol

  • @jameskann951
    @jameskann951 Před rokem +3

    Now with so many Hatmakers out there you can get a Custom Fur Felt Hat for $400-$500 not $1200.-$2000 for this Guy's Hats. However in Southern California there are a lot of wealthy People who will gladly pay $1500. for his Hats and of course his association with Neiman-Marcus Stores helps too probably Macy's too. His Family financially helped Nick get started and they are a Fashion Family so it wasn't that hard for him to become a Custom Hatmaker. The Rich get richer!

    • @blastermaster5039
      @blastermaster5039 Před 10 měsíci +2

      Thats the nature of human ever since the dawn of time. Flexing wealth and acquiring wealth to flex more is a proven strategy not only to qcuire power but also to reproduce. I am just glad we as a species evolve to have sympathy with each other and learn to help the poor of our kind - but yeah, we still need to evolve more. 😅

  • @BonkMachine
    @BonkMachine Před 5 lety +7

    4:25 Imagine walking around like that

  • @jimking4141
    @jimking4141 Před 7 lety +6

    I happen to appreciate the craftmanship Nick Fouquet puts into each of his hats. It's quite remarkable actually. Good on you.

  • @gregoutcalt6773
    @gregoutcalt6773 Před 6 lety +7

    Out of the hundreds and hundreds of videos I’ve watched on CZcams this is in my top 2-3 all time favorites..... and I don’t even wear hats.

  • @surfgal77
    @surfgal77 Před 4 lety +2

    😱 This is craftsmanship at its best!!! Amazing 😍 It’s soooo beautiful what he’s doing and I love, that art like this will survive because of people like him 🙏🏻

  • @sunflower-oo1ff
    @sunflower-oo1ff Před 5 lety +1

    Wow Nick , you do awesome work! Thanks for this video !

  • @billruber2861
    @billruber2861 Před 6 lety +21

    ,
    I have worn hats my whole life my grandfather was also a hat man I guess I got it from him .Your right you have to own the look

    • @ricdonato4328
      @ricdonato4328 Před 4 lety

      All too common spelling or word choice error: It should read you are or you're, not your. That which follows your belongs to the person you are conversing with.

  • @Cowboyup938
    @Cowboyup938 Před 8 lety +5

    Nice ! Good work, very good
    Congratulations!

  • @alltraveler
    @alltraveler Před 4 lety

    My 8 year old grandson loves. Real. Hats. He saves his money and buys at the hat shop in Disney springs. He bought a black felt top hat that he wears all the time. He wears an Irish style cap with his family emblem on it. He definitely owns hat wearing. I can’t wait for him to grow into my dads Stetson . Beautiful.

  • @20vK
    @20vK Před 8 lety +26

    Awesome crafter, awesome filmmaking.
    I loved everything about this.

  • @hugavet3049
    @hugavet3049 Před 6 lety +1

    Great video. Great hats too. Love the artwork of both Nick and filmmaker.

  • @Finkardop
    @Finkardop Před 7 lety

    I'm glad the hat community is so small and not being ruined by society for money and quantity.

  • @jesusr.trevino6996
    @jesusr.trevino6996 Před 5 lety

    Most amazing thing ive ever seen its always important for a hat to match you

  • @onecatsopinion
    @onecatsopinion Před 5 lety

    Very nice... Love to see the process.

  • @brandonkey181
    @brandonkey181 Před 6 lety

    More people need to see this video. This video is awesome.

  • @davidr6026
    @davidr6026 Před 5 lety +1

    Amazing! Terrific.

  • @TheMjj164TibBitsFromTheAttic

    Beautiful work

  • @TsetsiStoyanova
    @TsetsiStoyanova Před 5 lety +9

    I am fascinated by this hat-making process!

  • @angelamarques3708
    @angelamarques3708 Před 9 měsíci

    Just amazing!

  • @dolcinafletcher5030
    @dolcinafletcher5030 Před 3 lety

    You have to rock hats with confidence no matter the cost. Its like a piece of unique jewelry added to your outfit.

  • @Venomthegr8
    @Venomthegr8 Před 6 lety +7

    How to abuse the slo-mo button.....dam ....the whole video was slowed down ....thought I was having a stroke

  • @suzannebeyer5369
    @suzannebeyer5369 Před 6 lety

    The hat on fire, so beautiful!

  • @joshuagarcia7791
    @joshuagarcia7791 Před 5 lety

    My respect to your art. My hats off to you.

  • @anichoubouk9367
    @anichoubouk9367 Před 2 lety

    Fabulous work and video.

  • @j.dtruths5577
    @j.dtruths5577 Před 6 lety

    That was awesome!!!

  • @djordjeblaga7815
    @djordjeblaga7815 Před 5 lety

    Love the synthesizer work around 5:00

  • @KVandendriessche
    @KVandendriessche Před 5 lety +5

    He keeps saying “we” but there’s no one else there 😳

  • @lamar3448
    @lamar3448 Před 3 lety

    Stunning!

  • @civicspikes
    @civicspikes Před 8 lety

    Loved the video!!

  • @DredPirateRoberts
    @DredPirateRoberts Před 5 lety +5

    Rare field trip for Bloomberg to see how the middle class makes a living.

    • @nadiar.7788
      @nadiar.7788 Před 3 lety

      The guy makes minimum $1K US a hat. He's not middle class.

  • @dwcannabisgrower8445
    @dwcannabisgrower8445 Před 5 lety +1

    Gotta own it! Totally rad dude👍.

  • @emilismelnikavicius503
    @emilismelnikavicius503 Před 4 lety +1

    //QUESTION FOR HAT MAKERS//
    Does anyone know if you can do the sanding process like Nick does with any sort of felt, or just top-notch?
    Thank you in advance for the answer!

  • @ahmadfadzel7089
    @ahmadfadzel7089 Před 6 lety +15

    Why it always in slow motion?

    • @antonhelsgaun
      @antonhelsgaun Před 5 lety +4

      It makes it seem like he's doing a lot, while he isn't actually doing $1000's work

  • @darrenernest
    @darrenernest Před 5 lety

    Really cool hat he’s wearing with the curvy brim

  • @theedelluis
    @theedelluis Před 3 lety

    Wow... very artistic...

  • @garyrifat2917
    @garyrifat2917 Před 3 lety

    lot of Haters out there, his hats are cool if you cant afford one and I cant, please admire the work,effort,craftsmanship and quality without the negative comments. I don't know of another hat maker in LA that can make you a bespoke custom hat. My mother taught me if you don't have anything nice to say about something perhaps you should not say anything never has this been more true in the age of the internet. Im thankful craftsman like this guy are still making things that you can treasure for a life time it costs more but it is worth it. Way to go Nick ignore the haters and hopefully when I can afford one of your hats you will still be making them.

  • @marcoscunha2115
    @marcoscunha2115 Před 5 lety +17

    buy an Akubra for 1/10 of the Nick´s hat price

  • @leslieboles6439
    @leslieboles6439 Před 6 lety

    Awesome, I have to come and meet you sometime! I love hatmaking.

  • @securit7590
    @securit7590 Před 4 lety

    Amazing hats. Cool dude.

  • @ljc6141
    @ljc6141 Před 5 lety +3

    Fire resistant hats, for the classy fireman

  • @exquisitelyelizabeth6531

    Love it!

  • @kairon156
    @kairon156 Před 7 lety

    Very interesting video. I had no idea there were so few hat makers. Though I suspect a large part is many people are against furs and leather in general.

  • @nahimnalieldelacruzdelfin

    Nice job . Congratulations nick. Saludos desde mexico de un aprendiz de sombrerero. Mi linea de trabajo son los sombreros de charro.

  • @varun009
    @varun009 Před 5 lety +1

    Customer: well, it doesn't fit and it has a huge hole in it not to mention it's fucking burnt!
    Hipster: **sweats nerviously** the beauty is in the mistakes.

  • @Optimusprimerules1
    @Optimusprimerules1 Před 4 lety +1

    Are they $950 before or after the burning...?

  • @diamondlouie5585
    @diamondlouie5585 Před 6 lety

    How long does it take you to make a piece a art? How many steps does it take to make a hat without machines?

  • @sixpotshot
    @sixpotshot Před 4 lety

    Cool craft

  • @lostinspace1719
    @lostinspace1719 Před 5 lety +1

    Legend has it after 2 years hat still sits there ..

  • @dinkerz
    @dinkerz Před 5 lety +11

    That dude was really cheesy but major props to the cinematographer. Those were some gorgeous shots!!

  • @MrCoursair77
    @MrCoursair77 Před 2 lety

    Super outstanding Bro…!

  • @adiroxstr
    @adiroxstr Před 6 lety +1

    This was beautiful! Love the process and the crafters vision. Thanks for sharing!

  • @goutambag7213
    @goutambag7213 Před 5 lety

    hats off

  • @MrHodgeon5th
    @MrHodgeon5th Před 6 lety

    I respect the craft..

  • @eytanmerkier7861
    @eytanmerkier7861 Před 8 lety +40

    lovely video, really did enjoy it, was pleasantly surprised this came from Bloomberg though hahah

    • @marcecobaya
      @marcecobaya Před 6 lety +2

      Eytan Merkier the way that their videos are edited.....on point

  • @sayankumardas2911
    @sayankumardas2911 Před 5 lety

    Awesome

  • @sethaldarith6778
    @sethaldarith6778 Před 3 lety

    How do you burn the fuzz off of things without burning them up like this? Is he spraying it with something?

  • @lincolnhare7766
    @lincolnhare7766 Před 5 lety

    Nice. VERY nice.

  • @robertrichter7702
    @robertrichter7702 Před rokem

    I’d love to have one of his hats , but I could get a custom for that much

  • @rosemarymccarter1596
    @rosemarymccarter1596 Před 2 lety

    I would really love ❤️ to learn how 🤔 because I love wearing hats!

  • @Misterrocckettaro
    @Misterrocckettaro Před 4 lety

    Does anyone know what does he use to set the hat on fire? 🔥 (I suppose rubbing alcool?)

  • @jackjill3205
    @jackjill3205 Před 5 lety

    Headwear is very personal a crowning accoutrement to what ever you are wearing, Hudhuds are the pinnacle of elegance and style individually created to cater for your desired dress sense to wear fashionable clothing .

  • @sloppynig1
    @sloppynig1 Před 5 lety

    this guy is a boss
    i need a hat from him

  • @sandrarodgers5440
    @sandrarodgers5440 Před 5 lety

    I love what you do

  • @drewfriesen9025
    @drewfriesen9025 Před 5 lety +1

    This guy just gave a bunch of more talented desperate artists the fundamentals of hat making. I think there’s gonna be a few for hat makers in America.

    • @OMGWTFLOLSMH
      @OMGWTFLOLSMH Před 5 lety +1

      There's a reason there are so few hat makers.

  • @LuCas-bf6si
    @LuCas-bf6si Před 5 lety

    What a nice guy

  • @HomikaGaming
    @HomikaGaming Před 5 lety +2

    Well I'm down to learn. I collect tons of hats ^^

  • @liposchak
    @liposchak Před 5 lety +2

    You people do not understand what goes into a handcrafted product. Handmade anything is top quality and would probably end up being an heirloom. Mass produced hats fall apart. I make everything and just started making felted hats by knitting them first then hand felting them. Itsa lot of work and the public just doesn't realize it.

    • @antonhelsgaun
      @antonhelsgaun Před 5 lety

      Not really true though. The fact that something is mass produced doesn't make it worse quality, quite the contrary. I have only bought one handmade thing, and it broke

  • @the.magnus
    @the.magnus Před 6 lety +3

    Love me some Beaver felt

  • @nicholaslandolina
    @nicholaslandolina Před 6 lety +1

    He should do a car interior for the truck

  • @user-hw6hh3wu3z
    @user-hw6hh3wu3z Před 5 lety

    Britain is great .I love Britain

  • @SUPERSCUMDK
    @SUPERSCUMDK Před 5 lety +1

    Check out Hornskov Hats from Denmark. They have some pretty awesome videos here on CZcams aswell

  • @keshiamills5717
    @keshiamills5717 Před 6 lety

    Great job! I would really live to design and make my own hats one day. Lol Keshia

  • @tashawood4657
    @tashawood4657 Před 5 lety

    As someone who works in a hat shop everything he says is stuff I say to my customers everyday haha

  • @nattybushdoctor9021
    @nattybushdoctor9021 Před 3 lety +1

    This video should be titled .. why this hat maker glues in his liners instead of sewing it in?? 7:57

  • @shena1256
    @shena1256 Před 4 lety +4

    Of course he drives a old pickup 😂❤️

  • @johnschriber5077
    @johnschriber5077 Před 5 lety

    Where do you get the base felt dome?

  • @tsu1951
    @tsu1951 Před rokem

    spent the last 5 hours making my first hat. and right as I finish this video popped up :)
    mine was just a simple wet felted hat about doll size. absolutely nothing like he makes

  • @arcana830
    @arcana830 Před 5 lety

    What a cool

  • @Finke.
    @Finke. Před 6 lety +3

    A very talented creative artist ...

  • @Brownpenguin115
    @Brownpenguin115 Před 5 lety +1

    Nothing will ever beat Stetson

  • @thecitizenjoan
    @thecitizenjoan Před 5 lety +18

    Wow everyone is sleeping on how gorgeous he is

  • @zk7by53msp
    @zk7by53msp Před 3 lety

    I don’t like to wear hats but he’s hats I really want them 🎩

  • @user-my9be8qn7k
    @user-my9be8qn7k Před 3 lety

    mm, but what does he use for sanding? does anybody know?

  • @gaesimmonds2165
    @gaesimmonds2165 Před 7 měsíci

    Where do you source your hat bodies?

  • @tinalaugel3259
    @tinalaugel3259 Před 6 lety

    wow