What is Mestizoak? It is the plural Basque spelling of the singular Spanish word from Roman origin, Mestizo; and it basically means ‘mixed-breeds’. Coincidentally it also works as Mestizo Alaska.

What is a txapela? It is essentially a floppyish beret, culturally associated with the Basque peoples of Northern Spain/Southwestern France. Although the txapela is only associated with Euskadi since the Carlist Wars, different beret variations have been worn in the region since ancient times.

What is a sombrero? It is the Spanish word for hat, but if you are Anglo American, you probably only associate it as a giant Mexican hat. In Mexico the design has evolved over time, sometimes made with either thick wool or local vegetation. Sometimes big and sometimes small.

The designs available here are a mixed breed, combining old with new, adapting and applying indigenous values. Essentially, the txapela available here is an Cascadian txapela, because it was designed for the temperate rainswept coasts of Southeast Alaska, with an active lifestyle in mind.

The ingredients: Wool and cotton fibers are prioritized for hats made here, but billed hats and anything sewn with machine utilizes synthetic threads. Synthetic fabrics are utilized for accessories, but destruction on the environment is heavily considered when designing and sourcing materials. Much of the fabric and leather used is considered remnants—diverted from waste streams. The wool yarn is of mixed origins, mostly American companies, and sometimes from sheep raised on ranches of Basque descendancy.