An interview about the dedication behind hatmaking
The Eritate Hat Factory Kurashiki Honmachi Store is lined with hats featuring carefully crafted details.
We spoke with representative director Eritate Shigeki about the thought that goes into making hats and delivering them to customers.
A commitment to making hats that combine design and functionality
Could you tell us about your commitment when making hats?
Eritate (honorific omitted)
We make hats that combine design and functionality.
Everyone's head is a different size, and people also vary in the height of their heads.
For example, blade hats are stiff, so wearing one that doesn't fit can make your ears hurt. But with a hat that has fabric inserted partway into the crown, the size adjusts to the height of the wearer's head, making it comfortable to wear.
Inserting fabric between the materials and sewing it in is one of our techniques.
We'd also like to hear your thoughts on technique.
Eritate
When an idea comes to mind, the designer designs it, and we make it at our factory in Kamogata. Generally, designs are based on what can be made, but we do the opposite. After all, making things improves our skills, so we make everything we come up with.
Some of our hats may look ordinary at first glance, but if you look closely, you'll see details such as carefully considered stitching—we deliberately take on work that requires extra effort. We make them with the belief that design advances technique.
What we keep in mind when serving customers
With so many hats, do a lot of customers have trouble choosing?
Eritate
Many people do. Some customers are unsure what kind of hat they should choose in the first place.
When recommending a hat to a customer, we make a point of telling them about more than just its design. We talk with them about when they plan to wear it and what kind of clothes they want to pair it with, and then suggest hats they can try on. Many customers decide to buy after hearing about the care put into each hat and that they're made here in Okayama Prefecture.
There's a sewing machine in the store, too.
Eritate
That's right. We brought in sewing machines and hat blocks that were used at our factory in Kamogata, and the shelves were originally sewing machine tables. We want customers to experience not just a shop that sells products, but also the atmosphere of the space and hatmaking.
It's also easier to explain things when we show customers the tools. We want customers to buy something good. We believe the hats we make ourselves are good products.
If you've come all the way to Kurashiki and found a great hat, we hope you'll buy it. That's the spirit in which we talk with our customers. We keep making new hats, but we want to continue serving customers this way without changing our approach.
From the Writer
Eritate Hat Factory continues to manufacture its original hats in-house.
Every hat features thoughtful details, and hearing about them while looking at the actual products brings the joy of making new discoveries.
There are many hats you can only buy here, so be sure to stop by when you visit the Bikan Historical Area.
Eritate Hat Factory Kurashiki Honmachi Store details
| Name | Eritate Hat Factory Kurashiki Honmachi Store |
|---|---|
| Address | 11-26 Honmachi, Kurashiki City, Okayama Prefecture |
| Contact | 086-422-6544 |
| Parking | None |
| Hours | Weekdays: 10:00 a.m.–5:00 p.m. Weekends and holidays: 10:00 a.m.–6:00 p.m. |
| Closed | Tuesday, Wednesday |
| Payment methods |
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| Website | Eritate Hat Factory |
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