HAT CARE TIPS & REPAIRS

FELT HATS

How to care for your Lock & Co. felt hat

• Steam from a household kettle and a hard bristle hat brush will help remove dust and dirt. Brush the hat using short strokes, following the natural direction of the fibre.
  
• For stubborn marks, lighter fuel or dry cleaning fluid can be used. Ensure these liquids are used in a well-ventilated room and always test a patch first – we recommend the inside of the headband.
  
• Wet hats should be dried using a clean, absorbent cloth or sponge. Do not place a felt hat on a radiator as the heat will shrink the fibres and cause your hat to decrease in size.
  
• Felt hats are best stored in a hat box, away from direct sunlight.
  

Rolling Instructions

Rollable Lock & Co. felt hats include the Nomad, Rambler and Voyager trilbies. These hats are designed to be rolled and stored in tubes for easy travelling.

• Using clean hands, turn the brim down.
  
• Push out the crown of the hat to form a dome shape.
  
• Softly roll the hat along the crease, from convex to concave.
  
• Store the rolled hat, cone down, in either a canvas or cardboard tube.
  
• On arrival at your destination, always unfold and reshape your hat to restore its shape.
  

TOP HATS

How to care for your Lock & Co. top hat

• Using a soft bristle hat brush, gently stroke the hat in short movements. This will remove any dust caught on the fur or silk fibres. For Lock & Co.’s Ascot top hat, carefully buff the surface with a piece of crushed white tissue paper.
  
• Always store top hats in a hat box, away from direct sunlight. Lock & Co. offers sleek leather hat buckets and hat boxes that will ensure your hats are stored in style.
• Alternatively, bring your Lock top hat to us for a complimentary polish whilst you wait. Contact Us

Polishing Instructions

• Lock & Co.’s Westminster, Westminster High Crown, Mayfair, and Silk top hats have a directional nap - the short fibres extend above the surface of the fabric - which is designed to be polished.
  
• Using a soft bristle hat brush, smooth the nap lightly in an anticlockwise direction. Follow by spraying a fine mist of fresh water over the top hat and then use a damp velvet polishing pad to bring up the hat’s lustre.
  

TWEED CAPS & HATS

How to care for your Lock & Co. tweed cap or hat

• Steam from a household kettle and a hard bristle hat brush will help banish any dust and dirt from tweed. Brush the hat using short strokes.
  
• For stubborn marks, lighter fuel or dry cleaning fluid can be used. Ensure these liquids are used in a well-ventilated room and always test a patch first - we recommend the inside of the cap or hat.
  
• Dry a tweed cap or hat by shaking off the water and leave it at room temperature. Never dry a tweed cap or hat on a radiator, as the heat will shrink the fibres and cause your cap or hat to decrease in size.
  
• Should your tweed cap or hat shrink in size, a hat jack can be used to stretch it back to its original shape.

LEATHER HATS

How to care for your Lock & Co. sheepskin or leather hat

• Sheepskin and leather hats should never be steamed. To clean the sheepskin, gently pour water over the sheepskin only (keep the leather dry). Once washed, gently squeeze out the excess water. Leave your sheepskin hat in a cool, dry place until completely dry. The drying process may take a few days.
• Wet fur hats should be lightly shaken to remove excess water and then dried at room temperature. Wet leather hats should be dried using a clean, absorbent cloth or sponge.
• Do not place a fur or leather hat on a radiator, as the heat will shrink the leather or fur and cause your hat to decrease in size.
• Should your hat shrink in size, a hat jack can be used to stretch it back to its original shape.
• Fur and leather hats are best stored in a hat box, away from direct sunlight.

PANAMAS & STRAW HATS

How to care for your Lock & Co. Panama or straw hat

• Always handle your Panama or straw hat by the brim to avoid distorting the crown.
  
• Steam from a household kettle and a soft bristle hat brush or clean pencil rubber will help remove dust and dirt.
  
• Avoid wearing a Panama or straw hat in the rain. If it gets wet, dry using a clean, absorbent cloth or sponge.
  
• Should your hat shrink in size, a hat jack can be used to stretch it back to its original shape.
  
• Panamas and straw hats are best stored in a hat box, away from direct sunlight.
  

Rolling Instructions

Lock & Co. carries rollable styles of straw hats: our Rollable Panama, our Rollable Superfino Montecristi Panama, and our St Ives Rollable Panama. These hats are designed to be rolled and stored in tubes for easy travelling.

• Using clean hands, turn the brim down.
  
• Push out the crown of the hat to form a dome shape.
  
• Softly roll the hat along the crease, from convex to concave.
  
• Store the rolled hat cone down in either a canvas or cardboard tube.
  
• On arrival at your destination, always unfold and reshape your hat to restore its shape.

USING A HAT JACK

How to use a hat jack to maintain hat size

• Turn the handle to shorten or lengthen the jack to the approximate size of your hat
  
• Rest your hat, crown down, on a flat surface and place the hat jack, writing side up, inside the hat, so that the centre of the jack is aligned with the centre and back of your hat
  
• Turn the handle of the jack until it is a snug fit
  
• Store the hat, resting it crown down, ideally in a hat box
  

How to increase a hat's size

• First, follow the instructions above on how to use a hat jack.
  
• Then, fill a household kettle and boil until a steady jet of steam appears.
  
• Holding the jack handle, position the hat over the steam. Ensure the steam only touches the outside band area of the hat.
  
• Twist the jack’s handle once more and apply more steam.
  
• Turn the kettle off and leave the hat with the jack inside to cool.
  
• Repeat steps 2 - 4 if the hat needs further adjusting and continue until the hat reaches the desired size.
• Having stretched the hat to the desired hat size, leave the hat jack in the hat for a minimum of 24 hours or until the hat feels comfortable on your head.