Photography courtesy of Pierre Suu/Getty Images and Emma Brewin/Instagram. Graphic by Kayleen Dicuangco
Rihanna’s favourite hat brand is the it-girl trend du jour.
By Lauren Knowles
Date December 3, 2021
We’re declaring the Emma Brewin oversized bucket hat the it-girl accessory of the moment.
In fashion, winter calls for faux fur. And, as confirmed by recent sightings of Rihanna, Bella Hadid and Emily Ratajkowski just weeks apart, this whimsical statement piece is the must-have hat of the moment.
Hadid and Ratakjowski both opted for Brewin’s limited edition ‘Hazel Bucket’, while Riri kept it classy in black, though she’s been repping Brewin buckets in colour since early 2020. Committed to the fuzzy fashion cause, Rihanna even rocked a fairy floss coloured hat in ‘Blossom’ from Emma Brewin this summer.
Since its launch in 2014, the eponymous British brand has racked up quite the list of celebrity clientele. The furry bucket has been fashionably accessorized on all from trendy it-girls like Iris Law and Jazzelle to pop stars like Miley Cyrus (who was the first celebrity spotter on Emma Brewin’s Instagram feed in a 2018 post) and Dua Lipa.
Handcrafted and handmade to order in England with faux fur and a 100% cotton lining (P.S. — it’s 100% vegan), Brewin’s signature bucket hat made its debut in her SS16 collection and has since been reimagined in new colours we now love.
With her textured twist on the bucket hat trend, Emma Brewin taps into feelings of nostalgia for the accessory. Its popularity is often attributed to the street style of the ‘90s and early 2000s, but in reality, the bucket hat has had a much longer journey from function to fashion. Dating back to the early 20th century in Ireland, the hat was made purely in the name of practicality to protect Irish farmers and fisherman from the rain, which would slide right down its slanted brim. In the years that followed, the wide-brimmed hats were worn by troops in the 1940s and from the ‘50s to the ‘70s during the Vietnam War as a continued protective measure.
The ‘60s upgraded the once functional bucket to a style statement during its distinctive mod fashion era with textures of the time such as felt and other firmer fabrics. In the ‘80s, B-boy culture popularized the bucket hat in hip hop (enter, Kangol) while the ‘90s saw pop stars and models alike donning the headgear — although, it’s the hat Pamela Anderson paired with her look at the 1999 MTV Music Awards that may have served as the earliest inspiration for the Emma Brewin iteration of the bucket hat in all its pink, fluffy and oversized glory.
Photography by Ke.Mazur/WireImage
The early years of the 21st century gave us all the Y2K looks we’ve recreated this year, and yes, more bucket hats — this time on red carpets and runways like Prada’s Spring 2005 RTW show in funky fabrics. 17 years later, bucket hats live on in abundance at this year’s Fall/Winter fashion shows.
Emma Brewin’s faux fur take on the topper trend has maintained much of the same playful, eccentric and high-fashion energy we’ve seen over the years since the OG buckets transitioned into a fashion accessory — and we’re not mad about yet another bucket hat resurgence on the streets this winter.
With fun options from Canadian brand Sentaler to bucket hat royalty Kangol, scroll on to find both extra and affordable dupes for Emma Brewin’s accessory of the moment:
Furry Bucket Hat
($15, BP.)
Tatum Faux Fur Bucket Hat
($75, Apparis)
