A Hundred Hats and Counting
Renatto Balladares on life beyond caps.
Renatto Balladares takes headwear seriously. The GAP concept designer’s personal collection exceeds a hundred items, spanning, in his words, “beanies and caps and bucket hats and boonies and balaclavas and berets.” He’s had them made, he buys them vintage, he refashions scarves, he rotates his collection as the seasons change.
Natto approaches the rest of his wardrobe just as creatively. He’s one of the most imaginative dressers you can follow, and his design eye extends beyond his outfits. (He previously put me on to Zabu’s floor cushions, explaining that the best way to make a tiny New York apartment feel bigger is simply by “living lower.”)
But with summer approaching (or so I’m told, London is damp) I wanted to hone in on his hats specifically. Because while most of us have just a couple of caps we like and leave it at that, there’s a chance we’re missing out on all the fun Natto has each morning.
When did your collection start?
In my mid-twenties, once I stopped getting a fade and started just buzzing my hair. I wasn’t making that much money, and I realised hats were an easy way to add something else to my outfits.
They started mostly as a good colour vehicle: A pop of red here, a hit of yellow there. Just something that could freak the outfit a little bit. But then I started experimenting with different silhouettes. Bucket hats, beanies, balaclavas, boonies, which are essentially bucket hats with straps. Eventually, I started to feel naked without one, the way some people feel about jewellery.
Some people like to hide under their caps, but you always look so approachable in yours.
Yeah. It’s definitely not a disguise for me. I can’t really have a bad hair day, you know? So with me, it’s always intentional.
What are your favourite hat brands for summer?
For bucket hats, my go-to is Engineered Garments. I have a few, because they update their fabrications seasonally, and I already know what size I am and what works for me. I also really like SCHA. They’re a women’s brand, but my advice is to consider women’s hats too, because they usually still fit, and women get the coolest silhouettes and colours, while men’s hats are often restricted to baseball caps and buckets. I just found a cotton skull cap by them at La Garçonne.
For caps, I really like the collaboration Auralee did with Kijima Takayuki on a collection of about twelve garment-dyed dad caps. They just chose really nice colours. I also like COMESANDGOES—they have fun little souvenir caps with random slogans, a little like the hats IDEA Books make.
I also like the new Celine hats. I wouldn’t spend that much money on them, but I do like how vibrant the colour blocking is. And then also s.k. manor hill— I just looked recently at their site, and they have a raffia-style open-weave hat, and also these cotton skull caps in a crochet pattern, so you get a little bit of airflow.
Otherwise, just look for vintage designer headscarves—there are so many out there, and some of them are so nice you can also hang them up like artworks.
Which one are you wearing in this shot (above right)?
That's a hat I found at Ven. Space. I love an ear-flap hat—they’re very Peruvian, so it’s also kind of repping my homeland. I have a Junya Watanabe one too. They’re just a great texture play in the fall and winter.
What about this thatched one (above left)?
I’ve been asked about this one before. I got it at The Society Archive—Marcus gave it to me. It doesn’t have a brand label on it, but if you want a similar vibe, that s.k. manor hill one is a bit bigger, but still kind of looks like it. Or just type “raffia bucket hat” into eBay. I’m sure something will pop up.
How do you like your hats to fit?
I really don’t like when they’re loose around the brim. Of course you also don’t want them to be too tight, because then you’ll start sweating. And then with caps, they’re not always going to have the same height. I personally need mine to sit a little low.
When do you decide on the hat you’ll wear that day?
It depends on the silhouette. If something that has a very specific shape, like a structural beret, then I’ll start with that, because that is where your eye is going to go. Otherwise I feel like I have enough of a range at home to just choose one that complements or contrasts nicely with the outfit once I’ve finished getting dressed.
Does the forecast come into it?
I mean, if it’s going to rain you definitely don’t want to wear a suede bucket hat. I have a Lemaire waterproof cap [worn here] that they made one year in kind of a military shape. Nanamica also makes waterproof bucket hats, I have one of those.
Do sunglasses complicate things?
They’re part of the fun. My sunglasses and hats are friends with each other. With accessories, it’s all kind of a common thread.
Do you ever carry a backup?
Only if I’m leaving the house and really can’t decide between, like, a red or a purple. Then I’ll take it to work and ask Jake or something.
Do you wash them?
I do, I do. Especially the brims, because there have been times where I’ve broken out if I don’t.
And are there any on your wish-list?
Not really. The fun thing about headwear is that it’s rarely that expensive, so you can usually just take the risk. For me, my grail hats are probably vintage. Sometimes I’ll just go on eBay and come up with a random search—vintage Yohji Yamamoto hat, Hermès bucket hat—and those end up being the most special ones I have.
Are you welcoming John Travolta to the club?
Of course, I love that he’s pulled those berets out. Though I had to take a little bit of a break from my own after Love Story came out and guys started pulling berets out everywhere.
What’s the strangest hat in your collection?
Ten years ago, I found a magazine from 2003 at a book fair. It was just a random zine, but it came with a hat that has the date of the 2003 New York City Blackout on it. It just says August 14th, 2003. Whenever I wear it, people always ask me, “What happened on that date?” It’s fun.
