
1950s · 1950s · African American
Production
handmade
Material
woven straw with raffia embroidery
Culture
African American
Movement
New Look / Post-War
Influences
1940s wide-brim silhouettes · traditional raffia work
A wide-brimmed straw hat featuring a structured crown with visible weave texture and a dramatically flared brim measuring approximately 4-5 inches in width. The natural straw base is embellished with vibrant raffia embroidery along the brim edge, creating a decorative border of stylized floral motifs in coral pink, green, and burgundy tones. The embroidery appears to be hand-worked in a chain stitch or similar technique, with the raffia fibers creating dimensional texture against the flat straw surface. The crown maintains a classic fedora-like shape with a center crease, while the brim's wide circumference provides substantial sun protection. This style reflects the post-war era's embrace of both practical and decorative elements in everyday accessories.
Lineage: “traditional raffia work”
These two hats trace raffia's journey from wartime necessity to postwar celebration. The first hat, with its tightly spiraled natural and teal raffia construction, embodies the resourceful make-do spirit of the 1940s—every strand purposefully wound into a utilitarian wide brim that could shield a victory garden worker or factory girl.
Follow this garment wherever the graph leads