The bowler hat, also known as a coke hat, derby or billycock, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown originally created in 1849 for the British soldier and politician Edward Coke.
The bowler hat was devised in 1849 and had been commissioned to design a close-fitting, low-crowned hat to protect his gamekeeper´s heads from low-hanging branches while on horseback. The keepers had previously worn top hats, which were easily knocked off and damaged.
When Coke arrived in London on 17 December 1849 to collect his hat he reportedly placed it on the floor and stamped hard on it twice to testits strength; the hat withstood this test and Coke paid 12 shillings for it.
Christy’s Hats
Miller Christy, the founder of the Christy dynasty set up his first manufacturing unit in Whitehart Court in London in 1773. Six reigns of royals and eight generations of the Christy family have forged the brand of Christys’ London since its foundation over 200 years ago. Christys’ is the only company in the world still making high quality top hats and bowlers in the traditional way, using hatting skills established over 200 years ago and thus helping to keep a valuable industry very much alive.
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