This weekend at the Native Treasures Indian Arts Festival in Santa Fe I got to meet and talk with Melissa Lewis-Barnes, from Durango Colorado. She makes custom hats – either traditional cowboy shaped hats or hats more aimed at women with lots of decoration and color. She does all of her own work, from shaping the hat to beading headbands to painting images on the finished product.
Very creative! And you can work with her to get exactly what you want. Because these are custom hats they are made specifically to fit your head correctly.
From her website:
“I have always been proud of my Native American and Cowboy Heritage, my grandfather was one of the best cowboys around. As a child I grew up seeing Navajo Cowboys working the livestock, wearing cool silverbelly hats, it made an impression on me! This collection gives me the artistic avenue to gracefully combine both the “Cowboy” and “Indian” world together to create a look that is unique and personal in every way. Every hat is handcrafted with your headshape, style and color. I take it a few levels above, by handpainting the hat to reflect your personal tastes and then beading a beautiful hatband and stampede string to finish off the look.”
You can get more information at her website by clicking HERE.