What have supermodel Naomi Campbell, rapper Will.i.am, gritty gangster drama Peaky Blinders and high fashion glossies Tatler and Vogue have in common? It transpires they are all dedicated followers of Laird Hatters, the brand’s distinguished headwear having graced the heads of hundreds of celebrities and catwalk models and the pages of numerous magazines.
Established in 2009 by Zofia and Alex Torun-Shaw, with a ready-to-wear store on London’s Columbia Road, Laird has since flourished to four outlets in the capital, and - thankfully for us - its largest shop in Cambridge.
Located on one of our prettiest thoroughfares, Green Street, amid a host of independents, Laird is a hat lover’s paradise, with a collection ranging from sophisticated Sinatra trilbies and casual Brooklyn tweed caps to dainty woollen cloches and cool Panamas.
With a friendly team led by the enthusiastic Faye Gilbert-Brown, it’d be almost impossible not to find a statement piece to suit. All hats are handmade in Britain using traditional methods, and created predominantly in fur, wool and tweed, sourced in the UK, Ireland and Ecuador. Shapes are traditional but with a modern twist and a rich colour palette, aimed at a unisex market.
Among the bestsellers are the Hunter woollen fedora, the plush fur-felt Alfred trilby, the all-American Brooklyn flat cap and the Crushable range (quite literally headwear which will crush, then spring back to perfection). Come the summer, Panamas – handwoven in Ecuador from the finest toquilla palm and finished by Laird on British soil – prove a popular choice.
With customers ranging from tourists and fashionistas to groomsmen, the store is always busy. And true old-fashioned customer service remains key. There’s even a crystal decanter of whisky by the till, so once you’ve selected your dashing deer stalker or suave Sicilian cap, you can celebrate with a wee dram. Now that’s customer service - and some!
Laird Hatters
4 Green Street
Cambridge
CB2 3JU
Telephone 0203 7139692
www.lairdhatters.com
Discover unique boutiques and boutique hotels mingled with communities of artists and craftspeople. Sample an award-winning restaurant or thriving little café tucked away in a back street – all easy to locate via the comprehensive Independent Cambridge directory. It features hundreds of local traders, artists, makers, producers, venues and events – all of which play a part in the real life of the city and local area. Run by long-term residents with a true passion for all things indie, the site is packed with valuable insider knowledge of the local scene. And whoever you are - resident or visitor; whatever you search for, read about and choose to visit, you can be sure it’s independent!