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Sawston hat-maker kits out Harrison Ford for Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny




You could be forgiven for assuming that the iconic fedora worn by American screen hero Indiana Jones was made in the USA.

Michelle Poyer-Sleeman with the Indiana Jones hat from the latest film. Picture: Keith Heppell
Michelle Poyer-Sleeman with the Indiana Jones hat from the latest film. Picture: Keith Heppell

But one of the most famous hats in movie history, masterfully worn by Harrison Ford in his role as the whip-cracking professor of archaeology, hails from the UK – specifically Sawston, in fact.

It was created in the workshop of Herbert Johnson, a sister company of the luxury brand, Swaine.

The Indiana Jones hats are a series of stunning titfers from the Swaine stable, which has also been responsible for other familiar cinematic props such as the umbrellas used in the Kingsman films and the attaché cases carried by Sean Connery in the first three Bond outings: Dr No, From Russia with Love and Goldfinger.

Michelle Poyer-Sleeman with the Indiana Jones hat from the latest film. Picture: Keith Heppell
Michelle Poyer-Sleeman with the Indiana Jones hat from the latest film. Picture: Keith Heppell

Over the course of the Indiana Jones series, which is set to conclude this summer with the June 28 release of Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny, the hatters have not only produced the made-to-order, handcrafted bespoke Indy hats, but have also kitted out other cast members from the famous franchise.

Michelle Poyer-Sleeman, master hatter in the civilian department (the brand also makes military hats), reveals that Herbert Johnson made Indy’s hats for the original Indiana Jones triology, as well as the final installment of the franchise.

Starting in 1981 with Raiders of the Lost Ark, the company went on to make hats for Indiana Jones and the Temple of Doom (1985) and Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade (1989).

Over 30 years later, Michelle was to create the hats for Indiana Jones’s final adventure. “Costume designer Joanna Johnston worked with us obviously on Temple of Doom [1985] and The Last Crusade [1989],” says Michelle, “so she came back to us, which is wonderful.”

Michelle Poyer-Sleeman with the Indiana Jones hat from the latest film. Picture: Keith Heppell
Michelle Poyer-Sleeman with the Indiana Jones hat from the latest film. Picture: Keith Heppell

So is the Indiana Jones collection Herbert Johnson’s biggest seller?

“Absolutely, yes,” says Michelle, a hat-wearer since her teens. “It’s so popular and even more so now. Making Indiana Jones hats keeps me very, very busy!”

There are eight different hats in the Indiana Jones collection. Many can be pre-ordered. Along with the time that goes into making them, Herbert Johnson uses the highest quality fabrics and craftsmanship to ensure every hat has a personal touch. Seven of the hats are £495, while one is £595.

The newest addition to the collection is the ‘Destiny Poet’ hat, which can also be purchased in a special edition box.

“The things that come into the cost are the techniques and the quality of materials, which we keep quite high,” explains Michelle.

“We don’t mass produce any of our hats so therein lies the difference with cost. Things like the brim edge or any fancy ribbon work are going to take more time, therefore there’s more labour and more materials involved.

“But we like to use the very best quality materials in all of our hats, and we take our time making them. It’s all hand-crafted, we’re not mechanised at all, so that’s what keeps the cost very high. It’s a bit like going to a Savile Row tailor – you’re having something bespoke: it’s handmade to your specifications.

“And even when a customer comes in and says, ‘I’ll have exactly what you’ve got on your website, no complications, no changes’, it’s still that amount of passion and skill at every stage that goes into it.”

Michelle Poyer-Sleeman with the Indiana Jones hat from the latest film. Picture: Keith Heppell
Michelle Poyer-Sleeman with the Indiana Jones hat from the latest film. Picture: Keith Heppell

The House of Swaine acquired Herbert Johnson Hatters, established in London in 1889, in 1997. “We’ve had new owners since a year and a half ago,” notes Michelle, “and they’re going through a rebrand. We’re now the House of Swaine, but we are all singular brands as part of that family.”

Michelle notes that the “iconic 1930s-1940s-style” Indiana Jones fedora is very versatile.

“It’s the kind of hat that you can both adventure in and also twin it with a suit,” she says, “because you see in Indiana Jones and the Last Crusade he steps off onto Venice Pier all suited – and he’s wearing his Indy hat.

“It’s such a versatile but iconic hat, and I think that’s why people love it so much – plus the fact that they can be the hero. He’s so attainable, everyone could be him, so I think that’s why it appeals so much, and why the hat is still here and still making headlines.”

Herbert Johnson has also provided hats for other well-known films.

“The list is long, and there’s also television and stage as well,” says Michelle. “Most recently we’ve done season five and six of Peaky Blinders, there’s the BBC production of His Dark Materials – we did the hat for Lin-Manuel Miranda’s character of Lee Scoresby. We did the hats for Who Framed Roger Rabbit?, there’s Peter Sellers’ tweed hat in The Pink Panther. David Bowie in The Man Who Fell to Earth wore a Herbert Johnson.

“The top hat worn by Jack Nicholson in Batman, that was a Herbert Johnson, and of course you’ve got Tom Baker as the fourth Doctor Who.”

What’s the secret to good hatmaking? “I would say it’s a bit like baking a cake,” replies Michelle, a Herbert Johnson employee since 2016. “You’ve got to get all the ingredients in the right order and in the right amounts… and then for me, you need a passion to do it. You must absolutely love crafting, which I do.

“You’ve got to have the skills involved – and there are many, there are so many different parts to hatmaking. Attention to detail – every stitch is important. We tie our own sweatband bows so attention to detail is paramount, and having the best-quality materials you can source.

“Then the cherry on the top, if we’re continuing with the recipe analogy, is the hand shaping to finish the hat – and I think that’s when the soul of the hat actually comes to life. You see what the spirit of the hat wanted to be.”

The Indiana Jones Destiny Poet hat
The Indiana Jones Destiny Poet hat

Although she mainly crafts standard-size headwear – and in the standard colours of brown, grey and navy blue – Michelle once received a very special request from a customer.

“The most unusual commission I’ve had was for a miniature Indy,” she recalls. “A customer had come to me by email and said that he had a very dear friend that had just died and she was an absolutely massive Indy fan.

“He said, ‘I don’t know if this is at all possible, but we were thinking we’d like to honour her memory and her love of Indiana Jones by making a small hat for her urn to wear’.

“What a commission and what an honour to be part of that… so I made a very small, hand-stitched, nine-inch-circumference Indy hat for her urn, and it’s the most touching thing I’ve ever been asked to make. I’ll never forget it.”

Indiana Jones and the Dial of Destiny hits UK cinemas yesterday (June 28). For more on Herbert Johnson Hatters, go to herbertjohnson.co.uk.



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