A flat cap is a rounded cap hugging the contours of the head and features a small stiff brim in front. The history of the Flat Cap can trace its roots back to fourteenth century Northern England but its use soon spread quickly throughout Britain and beyond.
When the British Parliament decreed in 1571 that all non-noblemen and boys over the age of 6 were to cover their heads with wool caps on Sundays and holidays, their mandatory use soured for risk of being caught and fined without one. A government strategy that came into being primarily as a way to support the British wool industry at that time. Centuries on, people grew accustomed to them and they were adopted as a ubiquitous comfortable and easy everyday item of wear.
Known in Ireland as a paddy cap, in Scotland as a Bunnet; in Wales as a Dai cap; Flat Caps have been given and are known by a huge array of names in Britain alone. When immigrants first took them to America, they were called an English cap, Irish cap, Driving cap, Duffer cap, Golf cap, Scally cap, Cabbie caps, and most commonly, Newsboy caps.
Various designs have evolved over time and many other terms for them exist. Flat caps have always been on trend, suiting almost any face shape. Today the flat cap is commonly seen as a casual alternative to the fedora and is naturally worn by everyone.
