Hi, so nice to see everyone here. I'm Cindy, a Copywriter & Digital Content Specialist at BetterCrown, a global hat store, and my work is to face hundreds of hats on screen, find their unique temperaments, and share them with people. I get aesthetic fatigue sometimes. The reason is not that hats are not pretty enough, but that hand-made and premium fabrics have become the standard description of hats. I often think about what makes an accessory an item that can accompany people for a long time. Since I learned about the hat brand Horisaki Design & Handel, all the words that describe Horisaki have become a desire to buy a ticket to Sweden, Småland.
Here, I really want to share that Horisaki is not only a hat brand but also the most touched part of Horisaki.
The Beginning of the Story
The start of the story is not on the fashion blocks in Stockholm; it starts in the countryside of Småland.
When you open Google Maps looking for Horisaki, the result is that you can't find the address in Stockholm. It's located at Kåremo 139 in Rockneby, in southeastern Sweden. This location belongs to Småland province, surrounded by vast forests, lakes, and swamps. The literal meaning of Småland is lots of small lands. In history, Småland was composed of numerous small territories. Until today, we can still feel the atmosphere - red wooden houses at the edge of forests - small, silent, independent, and respect the rhyme of nature. Moreover, there is also the "Kingdom of Glass" (Glasriket). Since the 18th century, glass craftsmen have used local forests and lakes to produce Crystal Glass that is famous worldwide.
The Founders of Horisaki
Japanese Makoto Horisaki and Swedish Karin moved their studio from the capital city to Småland, which was not by accident. Their pursuit is something deep rather than the fast updating and urban trends in the fashion industry - craftsmanship, simplicity, slowness, and respect for materials.
Imagine such a picture: Aside a serene forest, Mokoto, Karin, and other 10 craftsmen are quietly handling rabbit hair, beaver fur, and sisal in a studio room full of natural light. Without machine noise, there are only dialogues between hands and materials. When breezes blow through forests, the shimmering ripples on the leaves perhaps reflect on the windows, which might become the inspiration for the pleated design on hats.
This is the birthplace where Horisaki was born, and it's born with the atmosphere of Småland forests - serene, natural, and powerful.
The Collision Between Two Talented Persons
The poetic collision between crease and passions.
The reason that Horisaki hats can stand out from most excellent hat brands is mostly derived from the talents complement between this couple, Makoto and Karin.
Karin is the builder, and she underwent rigorous training at a millinery school in Gothenburg, with solid traditional millinery hatmaking silks. She is responsible for the hat shape that is the soul silhouette, with basic and rich architectural shapes. And then, we can find out that the icon of many Horisaki hats is natural creases that are not random, but made by Karin. Sophisticatedly flowy creases can be the best canvas for later creations.
Makoto is the destroyer and creator. Before knowing Karin, he was a silver jewelry designer, using clay or wax to shape. He has brought this sense of three-dimensionality to hat-making, which is a more experimental view. Moreover, his greatest innovation is to burn the surface of hats with fire, which sounds incredible and even might be dangerous. However, due to this unique burning skill, it can bring an irregular, unique sense of art, earth-like texture to leather or cow suede hats. After burning, the surface of the material will produce mild color change and burn marks, which makes each hat have its unique fingerprint. These meticulously handmade crafts and original, powerful craftsmanship can make Horisaki hats have an extremely distinctive icon, which seems like kissing by the fire of Småland forests.
A builder and a creator; one is tender, and the other is passionate. Their cooperation is the poem about balance and creation.
A Real Hat Belongs to You
A hat that really belongs to your journey.
After talking about the romantic part, let's go back to a more practical wearing experience. After all, no matter how pretty the hat is, if it's not comfortable to wear, it's nothing and meaningless.
The most popular collection is called the Travellers Hats, and this name accurately summarizes its features. This collection is mainly made from 100% Czech rabbit fur. However, differing from conventional stiff felt hats, Horisaki rabbit fur is super soft and lightweight after treatments. Its official website uses "soft, lightweight, moldable, and foldable to describe its hats. When you first pick up a Horisaki hat, you will be surprised by its super lightweight, which makes you feel no weight.
However, this type of soft property is absolutely collapsible, and its resilient softness can communicate with us. It's very easy to slightly curve the brim and make it better fit our face shape. Of course, we can also fold it bravely and put it in a suitcase, and when arriving at our destination, we take it out and shake it a little bit, which can make the hat recover to its great shape. Therefore, such a hat is not a fragile, luxurious hat that needs to be carefully maintained and cared for, but a real hat and partner that can accompany our journey and integrate into our everyday life.
As its description about its Beaver Felt Hats: "Our beaver felt is specially selected for its lightweight nature, allowing for effortless molding and shaping. Free from stiffening agents, the hats remain soft, comfortable, and easy to pack for travel. With a more classic appearance, these pieces embody timeless craftsmanship while adapting to the modern wearer’s lifestyle."
Besides these two collections, classic rabbit fur and more premium Canada beaver felt hats, Horisoki also expands into summer hats. Made from toquilla straw that is the world-level fabric for making Panama hats, designated by UNESCO as an Intangible Cultural Heritage. No matter whether for men's bucket hats or women's wide-brimmed hats, all these follow the soft and malleable theory, making summer full of natural protection.
It's Not Only A Hat
It's about the ecosystem of respect.
When I wrote to here, I thought that I knew Horisaki well enough. However, when I still excavate this brand, I found that the most charming part of Horisaki is how it treats cooperations. On Horisaki's official website, we can not only buy hats, but also curated selections for our friends.
- Italian Perfumes - Meo Fusciuni: The perfumer, Giuseppe Imprezzabile, is a solid fan of Horisaki hats. Woody, controlled, neutral aromas perfectly echo Horisaki wetland marsh brown-black series, which seems to bring us into the same North European forest through our smell
- Swedish Designer of Hand-Blown Glass - Åsa Jungnelius: Utilizing local, conventional glass craftsmanship in Småland, with her design, each piece from plates to bottles is colorful, dreamy, irregular, and full of casual art.
- Hand-Dye Artist - Lina Nääs: Created her dress brand, FJLN, she utilizes organic food and minerals to dye silk dresses, and each piece has unique, natural patterns, full of irregular beauty.
In addition, I suddenly understood the deeper meaning of Horisaki when I saw my friend's moment. The founders of Horisaki guard the ecosystem based on the same values rather than build a hat brand. The core of the circle is the respect for hand-made craftsmanship, the admiration for natural fabrics, and the appreciation for irregular and imperfect beauty.
The full name of Horisaki is Horisaki Design & Handel, and the "handle" means commerce and transaction, having a new meaning at this moment.
In the End: Luxury is Another Definition
You might ask why the price of a piece of Horisaki hat can command a price that rivals that of Maison Michel, the pinnacle of luxury in the hat world, and even exceeds that of the well-known Borsalino?
I thought that when you know the whole story, the answer goes without saying.
- Its luxury is not merely a matter of using rabbit fur, beaver fur, or toquilla straw, which are much more expensive than wool.
- Its luxury is not merely a matter of each hat needs slow hand-made craftsmanship, and even some styles need the model - Made to Order. Waiting 2 weeks for the hat that belongs to you only.
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Its true luxury lies in the moments the couple spends in their forest-side studio, engaging with the materials through their hands; in the unique grain created as the flame sweeps across the leather; in its supple resilience, which allows it to return to its original shape even after being folded; and in the philosophy of life it embodies - one that respects nature, craftsmanship, and the individuality of the wearer.
As a copywriter, turning products into words is my work. However, Horisaki let me see the real stories, people, lands, and craftsmanship, giving the second life to its products. So, when you browse Horisaki hats, I hope you know it's a simple picture or a description. I hope you can feel the wind from Småland forests, the studio full of sunlight, and the insistence on slow hand-made craftsmanship.
Finding a hat that can totally wrap your head, it might be from the Swedish countryside, and become one part of your story, and accompany you to the corner that you go to. Thus, this might be the most luxurious, warmest, and most moving definition.