“When I was a kid, there’d be my dad’s and my grandpa’s sombreros everywhere, and I didn’t really understand what was going on, or pay much attention to it.”
Watching Rubin cut and pull a square of pristine felt into an elegantly battered hat, it seems he’s come a long way from that confused kid in his father’s workspace.
Alberto Hernandez, as Rubin is formally known, takes a quick break from endless orders at Nick Fouquet Hat Maker. He greets us with a mood befitting the Venice home, where the kitchen sits adjacent to the showroom.
Rubin, in his handmade apron of repurposed denim and Hawaiian shirt, leads me to the backroom. Dirt, sawdust, and steam hang in the afternoon air. He’s in the middle of a multitask.
“I have these two hats I’m almost done with for one client, but I also gotta finish on our order for Barney’s. And a German client came in with an order for eighteen hats.” He motions towards a tattered bowler with a green matchstick tucked in its brim.
“Eighteen?”
“Yup. Showed me what he wanted and threw it down.”
Such is the workload for the four-year old hatelier.
Nick and Rubin, his right-hand man, have always garnered attention for producing adventurous, full-bodied headwear with bohemian patina, riding a line between traditional and outright funky. In recent years, nationally televised pieces by Pharrell and Lebron James have amassed a cult following and insatiable demand from celebrities and aficionados alike. Rubin feeds on this appetite.
You gotta check out this one I just finished, man.” He scurries out of the room and returns with this:
If cowboys tipped their full pelt crowns to beget a large scale, than this client must’ve had King Kong (and evidently, the hunter from Jumanji) expectations. Such is the body of work for the third-generation hat maker. Take, for example, his recent creation for the enigmatic Sia, for whom he and Nick provided a curtain of blond hair extensions fixed across its visor.
Rubin continues with the current order. After draping the hat with clouds of steam, its felt brim is flat, and the crown fresh. He adds a few sprays of liquid, then proceeds to burn away perfection. The hat is engulfed in a rich flame, leaving parts blackened. The ten-second bonfire is odorless and controlled. I wonder what’s in the fuel.
“What’s in it? That’s a secret.”
Although the process ends in fireworks, Rubin complements his devil-may-care flourishes with traditional foundations handed from his patriarchs. He proudly recognizes Mr. Hernandez’ influence in his own repertoire.
“Definitely. And he even makes the inner lining for us.”
Stacks of orders await after this hat. Hours at the office have increased, but you’d never sense it in Rubin’s cheerful disposition. For a moment we’re comparing LA’s taquerias, where he mentions his grandmother’s home remedies for an upset stomach: a bit of lime juice into your belly button. He insists it worked for him. I’ll consider it.
“I’m happy that I can work with Nick and help him with this company. And I just love what I do, man. I love making hats, and I love it when people can be happy with them.”
Before wrapping and boxing his finished project, Rubin observes his own ritual of trying the hat in front of a mirror to break it in. He tips and bends its edges until he’s satisfied. If he’s really happy with his work, and if it’s in his size, he’ll even take it out on a Venice stroll.
So when you receive a Nick Fouquet hat by Alberto Hernandez, understand that you get a piece of Rubin with it. The sweat that beaded on his temple after one more steam press to settle the felt just a bit more. The flecks of dust on his fingers, bending and pulling a stubborn brim. The proud Guanajuato tradition of making sombreros. The lessons from his father, who learned from his father, of how to make, wear, and completely own your hat.
Additional photos:
Nick Fouquet Hat Maker
853 Lincoln Boulevard, Venice, CA 90291
Hats by Alberto: Rubin’s creations on Instagram
