Akubra

Fur felt bush hats Akubra moved its hatmaking to Kempsey, on the New South Wales mid-north coast, in 1974, and it still sells every hat on a Made in Kempsey promise. The felt is rabbit fur rather than wool, the material that saw Akubra's slouch hats judged tougher than the wool-felt versions before them, and it is why a good Akubra survives years of sun, rain and being grabbed by the crown. Ownership changed in November 2023, when the Forrest family's investment company Tattarang bought the business, but the hats are still made in the same town. Try several crown and brim shapes on in person; the fit matters more than the style name.