Hatlantis by Hills Hats

Hatlantis, the flagship store of local hatmaking legends Hill Hats, is a place where headwear is treated with the kind of care and curiosity usually reserved for heirloom objects – and in many ways, that’s exactly what’s on offer here. Because when you can claim the likes of Ladi6, Fat Freddy’s Drop, and Troy Kingi among your clientele, you naturally command a certain degree of gravitas.

There’s a sense at Hatlantis that things are made to last: not just the hats, but the environment they’re displayed in too. Step through the gold-framed doors into a mini world of understated luxury, where you can find every kind of hat imaginable. As opposed to fast fashion or trend-chasing retail, this is a celebration of craft, history, and the quiet confidence that comes from doing one thing exceptionally well.

Every single piece is handcrafted at the ‘Hatmosphere’ factory down the road by the Hills Hats team, continuing a legacy that stretches back 151 years. The business has evolved through generations, now under the stewardship of the Smuts-Kennedy family, fourth generation textile makers who are still producing hats the traditional way. Eighteen highly skilled craftspeople work with original machinery and time-tested techniques, combining deep institutional knowledge with modern innovation.

The range is impressively broad. Premium felt hats made from top-tier wool and fur felt sit alongside beautifully constructed straw styles, including Panama Grade 3, handwoven Vanuatu hoods, and paper straw options. The Oilskin range is a standout – distinctive, durable, and effortlessly suave – as are the classic flat caps. On the technical side, Managing Director Simon’s Optimum design remains a bestseller, supported by a proprietary fabric-lamination process developed in-house and unmatched anywhere else in the world.

More than a retail store, Hatlantis is a window into a living piece of New Zealand manufacturing history, still very much in motion.