Overview
An Akubra is a hat of rabbit-fur felt with a firm, creased crown and a broad brim, sometimes turned up at one side and often trimmed with a plaited leather band. Tough and weatherproof, it holds its shape through years of hard wear in sun and rain.
How it is worn
It is worn low against the sun, the brim shading the eyes and neck and channelling off the rain, dented and shaped to the wearer’s taste and held in wind by a chin cord for riding. A working hat rather than a dress one, its wear and stains tell of the country it has crossed.
History
The Akubra company has made fur-felt hats in Australia since the early twentieth century, and the slouch hat form clothed the nation’s soldiers in both world wars. Beyond the brand, the akubra has become the enduring symbol of the Australian bush and the man on the land.