The bowler hat, also known as a Coke hat, billycock, bob hat, bombín (Spanish) or derby, is a hard felt hat with a rounded crown, originally created by the London hat-makers Thomas and William Bowler in 1849. It has traditionally been worn with semi-formal and informal attire. The bowler, a protective and durable hat style, was popular with the British, Irish, and American working classes during the second half of the 19th century, and later with the middle and upper classes in the United Kingdom, Ireland, and the east coast of the United States.
Bowler hat, mid-20th century (PFF collection).
Members of the Orange Order wearing bowler hats while celebrating The Twelfth, Belfast 2011.
A typical bowler hat of female British police officers.
A typical bowler of female PCSOs in the UK.
Felt is a textile that is produced by matting, condensing, and pressing fibers together. Felt can be made of natural fibers such as wool or animal fur, or from synthetic fibers such as petroleum-based acrylic or acrylonitrile or wood pulp–based rayon. Blended fibers are also common. Natural fiber felt has special properties that allow it to be used for a wide variety of purposes. It is "fire-retardant and self-extinguishing; it dampens vibration and absorbs sound; and it can hold large amounts of fluid without feeling wet..."
Samples of felt in different colors
Kazakh felt yurt
Faranji is a Kurdish vest worn by men in winter and early spring
Wooden rolling pin used during the wet felting process
