Why we are Headonists 30 October 2020 - Posted in: They are Headonist

Headoniste caps were born from a meeting. That of an American cap collector, capable of crossing all of Manhattan or Paris, in search of the perfect model, and of a fashion enthusiast.

Together, they set out on a crazy challenge. To reinvent the iconic baseball cap as an essential accessory for a chic and casual wardrobe.

Headoniste, the expression of an accessible and reasoned luxury

But it is not enough to offer a simple "trendy" variation of the caps produced in Asia. The caps will be exclusive, produced in limited editions to limit their environmental impact, and made entirely in French workshops with quality products.

To express and share these values, we have chosen to create a unique cap brand. A true showcase of French know-how, it is the expression of an accessible and reasoned luxury, respectful of the environment.

Headoniste is a "new generation" luxury brand, which some call "ethical or frugal luxury".

While many continue to associate luxury with opulence, others, including ourselves, believe that the time has come for a tempered consumption that allows the reconciliation of Time and Space in a new balance, a new breath. Without renouncing the demand for beauty, the love of beautiful things or the joys of life.

Where does the name Headonist come from?

Headonist is a nod to the philosophical movement, hedonism.

Often defined as the ultimate pursuit of pleasure, hedonism is a philosophy that also introduces self-discipline.
Hedonism is an asceticism that implies knowledge and respect for the self, the world and others.

According to Michel Onfray, hedonism can be summed up in this maxim by Chamfort: "Enjoy and make others enjoy, without harming yourself or anyone else.

"The direct foundations of a hedonistic philosophy are curiosity and taste for existence on the one hand, and on the other hand autonomous thinking (not belief), knowledge and experience of reality (instead of faith). Hedonistic thinking has been resolutely opposed by authoritarian regimes (whether religious, philosophical or political)."

Headoniste is a nod to French industrial history

The word hat comes from the Old French word chapel, which in turn comes from the Latin caput (head). In Norman it gave the word cap, which in English means cap (not hat).
According to Godefroy's dictionary of Old French, the term chapel is a "headdress that men and women put on their heads to go out" but also a "crown in the general sense", and in particular a crown of flowers, a meaning that was retained until at least the 18th century.

Hats were made by hatters, a profession attested to in Paris since 1323 (Livre des métiers d'Étienne Boileau), which was sometimes grouped with that of hosiery makers who also used felt (Rouen, Marseille).

In Paris, hatters were first divided into felt, cotton, feather and flower hatters, before being reunited and, in the 15th century, established as a separate profession from the hosiery trade. The trade also existed in other countries: the London hatters were a flourishing corporation in the 16th and 17th centuries.

The trade, i.e. the acquisition of mastery, the actual work and the quality of production, was regulated by a series of statutes (1387, 1578, 1612, 1658) and by a series of quality regulations in the 18th century.

With the disappearance of the guilds, from the French Revolution onwards in France, hat making also became the business of milliners. From the 17th century onwards, hat factories supplemented workshop production: hats were produced in greater numbers and in ready-to-wear form.

The form maker is the woodworker who carves blocks of basswood into different shapes, according to the request of milliners or hat makers, for the shaping of felt, straw or fabric hats.

Headonist is a nod to the Anglo-Saxon world

In 1571 in England, a law was passed requiring all men to wear headgear on Sundays, except for children under six years of age and aristocrats; any offender faced a fine of 17 pence.

Over the centuries, this tweed headgear became a symbol of social class, with the bourgeois and aristocrats wearing better hats. In 1895, Labour politician James Keir Hardie posed on his campaign poster wearing a cap, causing a scandal that led to him being booed in the House of Commons
. Very much in vogue in the 19th century for work uniforms (chauffeur, doorman, caretaker, security guards, train conductor, etc.), it was then directly inspired by military uniforms, and in particular the kepi.

At the end of the 19th century, the gavroche cap was born in Europe and North America. Commonly known as the Irish cap, or the Poulbot cap (in reference to the illustrations of the painter Francisque Poulbot, which represent the "titis parisiens", the street kids).

In the United States, the gavroche is associated with young newsboys, who always wore this beret on their heads. Recognised by its short crescent-shaped visor and slightly domed shape, the gavroche is also the headgear of the working class.Although the gavroche originally had a very popular connotation, it was eventually adopted by the more affluent classes for their leisure activities. Sportsmen, pilots and golfers made it a fashionable and practical accessory, far from the image it originally conveyed.

The cap takes its first steps into fashion

The gavroche has been brought back into fashion since the 2000s by the haute couture houses. Today, many celebrities wear the gavroche such as Drew Barrymore or Johnny Depp.

The gavroche cap can be worn in different ways: well pushed on the head, straight on the head, or rather on the back, or even on the side...you choose your style.

There are many variations of caps in history, but the baseball cap is the only type of hat that is a purely American creation.

In the early 1900s, America was enamored with a legendary baseball player: Babe Ruth, who played with a cap (as part of his equipment). In support of their favourite baseball team, Americans began to wear baseball caps.

From then on, the cap became an obligatory accessory for sportsmen, but also for truckers or farmers who had to protect themselves from the sun and the sometimes complicated conditions that came with working outdoors.

At the end of the 1980s, the baseball cap underwent a revival in the United States thanks, in particular, to the explosion of hip-hop in New York and Los Angeles. Like Apple, McDonald's or Coca-Cola, the baseball cap had become an American emblem!