Cody Wellema wants to make you a killer hat | #028

03/25/20 • 50 min

What does it take to become a bespoke hat maker today? And what makes a man want to pursue a craft, which is pretty niche, even by the standards of this podcast? That’s what we set out to discover this week, in a sit-down with LA-based hat maker, Cody Wellema, founder of the Wellema Hat Co.
Cody has more or less dedicated his life to the noble art of hat making, and his passion for his craft speaks volumes. He’s open, honest and refreshingly forthright. He chats to Aleks about his love of all things vintage, the painstaking process each and every Wellema hat goes through, and the two explore how a beautiful hat can tell the story of a person’s life.
As always, we hope you enjoy the episode. Don’t forget to follow us on Instagram @handcutradio for regular updates (and daft pictures of Aleks), and to kindly leave us a review on Apple podcasts if you can.
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HandCut Radio is proud to be sponsored by Thomas Mason, an historic mill that’s been supplying famous designers, shirtmakers and tailors with world class shirting fabrics since 1796.
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Show Notes:
Cody Wellema — Website | Instagram
[0:45] Permanent Style Pop-up (2019)
[1:44] Brasserie Zédel
[39:50] Stòffa on HandCut Radio #018
[45:00] Bryceland’s
[45:11] Ethan Newton on HandCut Radio #021
[46:00] Tie Your Tie, Florence
[46:52] Connolly, England
[47:08] Crockett & Jones
[47:12] Yohei Fukuda
[47:26] Cohérence, Japan
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HandCut Radio is produced by Birch, a London based creative agency. Our theme music is by Joe Boyd.

Previous Episode

Berg & Berg’s modern approach to classic menswear | #027

This week, Aleks sits down with Andreas Larsson, the creative director of Scandinavian tailoring brand, Berg & Berg, which offers well-dressed men “a contemporary approach to classic style with a Nordic point of view”. We’d not met Andreas before, so we simply wanted to know what this means, and how he approaches his work as a designer and clothing creative.
We caught him during Pitti Uomo in January 2020, and grabbed a quick 40 minutes between meetings to learn a little more about his route into menswear, his work for Berg & Berg, and to get his take on why the fashion industry needs to think differently about sustainability today.
***
HandCut Radio is proud to be sponsored by Thomas Mason, an historic mill that’s been supplying famous designers, shirtmakers and tailors with world class shirting fabrics since 1796.
***
Show Notes:
Andreas Larsson — Instagram | Website
[05:10] Gieves & Hawkes
[05:36] Berg & Berg
[05:47] Vitale Barberis Canonico
[26:19] Johnstons of Elgin
[27:47] Arnold Trousers by Berg & Berg
[28:52] Raglan Coat by Berg & Berg
[34:22] Milad Abedi on HandCut Radio
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HandCut Radio is produced by Birch, a London based creative agency. Our theme music is by Joe Boyd.

Next Episode

Bonus Episode: Thomas Mason’s approach to innovation

In the first of two dedicated bonus episodes, HandCut partners with the Albini Group in Bergamo, Italy; the shirting mill responsible for protecting and maintaining the Thomas Mason brand today, and for weaving all luxury Thomas Mason fabrics.
In this episode, Aleks takes a quick walk through the mill floor and sits down with Head of Communications, Gabriele Camozzi, and Marketing Director, Tim Neckebroeck. The trio discuss Thomas Mason’s relationship with Albini, explore the brand’s heritage and examine how Albini’s joint focus on innovation and sustainability feeds into Thomas Mason’s fabric collections today.
It’s always a privilege to visit a manufacturer, particularly one that’s family owned and run, and which employs over 1,400 people, so we hope you enjoy this brief look at one of Italy’s most forward-thinking heritage brands.
Keep checking our Instagram feed, @handcutradio, for original behind-the-scenes photography, and some short films we shot during our visit.