The Ultimate Guide To Wearing And Styling An Akubra Hat

• Akubra hats have been a staple of Australian fashion for over a century, but styling it is a tightrope walk.
• The quickest way to look like you’re wearing a costume with an Akubra is over-styling. Let the hat be the single characterful piece.
• An Akubra only works if you wear it with confidence. If you treat it like a novelty prop, it instantly looks like outback cosplay rather than personal style.
• If your entire wardrobe is ultra-minimal, a heritage fur-felt hat will always look forced. Your clothes need enough texture to match.

Let’s get one thing straight: the Akubra isn’t a costume piece. It’s a piece of Australian heritage that’s ended up on the heads of everyone from rural stockmen to Chris Hemsworth and Nicole Kidman.

For 150 years, this rabbit fur felt icon has been shaped, steamed, and battered by the elements, which is how it earned its name as the toughest hat on the market. 

But you’d be wrong to think this cowboy-style hat (Australia’s answer to the Stetson) is reserved for regional stations or red carpets. Look no further than the street style at Pitti Uomo 2026, and you’ll see this style of hat has firmly cemented itself as one of the most interesting, trending accessories in modern menswear.

It’s also a rare double-win where looking good serves a purpose. Australia has one of the highest skin cancer rates in the world, so throwing one on is just as much about sun safety as it is about looking cool.

Still, there’s no denying that walking into a city pub wearing a broad-brimmed heritage hat can feel a bit like playing dress-up. To save you from looking like you bought your hat at the airport gift shop, we spoke to some Aussie style experts to get the lowdown on how to pull it off year-round. Because styling an Akubra in an urban context is entirely possible, and done right, it adds a layer of texture, personality, and confidence that a basic baseball cap simply can’t touch.

The Akubra Heritage: Brand vs. Style

Before you put one on your head, it helps to understand what you’re holding. First, a quick lesson in fashion vocabulary: Akubra is a specific brand, not a style of hat.

Just like people say “Levi’s” when they mean jeans, or “Band-Aid” when they mean plaster, Akubra is a family-owned Aussie company that became so iconic its name became a blanket term for the traditional Australian bush hat. If you buy a cheap knock-off from a souvenir shop, you’re buying the style, but you’re missing the quality of the brand.

The brand was founded in Tasmania in 1876, when Benjamin Dunkerley invented a machine to separate rabbit fur from the pelt. By 1912, the Akubra name was trademarked, and the hats became standard issue for Australian soldiers in both World Wars.

Today, they are still handcrafted in Kempsey, NSW. Each hat goes through over 160 steps and is handled 200 times before it hits the shelf. This is the exact opposite of fast fashion; it’s a high-grade investment that’s built to outlive you.

That said, you don’t necessarily have to limit yourself to one brand to nail this look. Whether it’s an American Stetson, a Borsalino, or an Akubra, the global trend we’re seeing right now is a celebration of any authentic, wide-brimmed heritage hat.

3 Steps To Choosing The Right Akubra

Walk into a store and ask for “an Akubra” and you’ll be overwhelmed. There are dozens of styles, and not all of them translate into an urban setting. The key to city styling is in the restraint. 

1. Get the Colour Right

“The first thing I’d look at is the colour,” Personal Stylist and Image Consultant Christina Robért tells Man of Many.

“If you’ve got cooler colouring, go for an Akubra with cooler, ashier tones. If you’ve got warmer colouring, look at the warmer browns and earthy shades.” Most importantly, choose a tone that complements the dominant colours you already wear so it integrates easily into your capsule wardrobe.

2. Balance the Proportions

Akubras come in different brim widths and crown heights. You need to choose one in proportion to your face shape and your body. Here’s what Robért suggests: 

• If you have a long, narrow face: Avoid an excessively tall crown because it makes your face look more elongated. 
• If you have a round face: A slightly higher, angular crown works will add structure and length to your face. 
• If you are on the shorter side: Avoid anything with brims that are ultra-wide so the hat doesn’t overwhelm your entire frame.

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Step 3: Choose the Right Style 

There are countless styles to choose from, but the following translate best into an urban environment: 

• The Traveller: The best entry point for the modern man. It features a softer, crushable felt and a moderate brim. 
• The Stylemaster: This Akubra is pure mid-century urban cool. It’s a classic fedora shape with a narrow brim and a sharp, pinched crown. 
• The Banjo Paterson: Named after the poet, this Akubra features a slightly shorter brim and a Barramundi leather band. It sits comfortably in the smart-casual space.

That’s not the say these are the only Akubras you can wear in the city, but if you’re new to accessories, these three are the best place to start.

3 Different Ways To Style An Akubra (Without Looking Like A Tourist)

The secret to pulling off an Akubra in the city comes down to texture and balance. Because a fur-felt hat has so much character, your clothes need enough substance to match it—without looking like you’re wearing a costume.

“Both the Akubra and the Stetson work best with anything that already has a bit of texture and story to it — a suede or waxed jacket, a chunky knit, raw denim, well-loved leather boots,” Australian content creator and fashion personality Dirk Fourie tells Man of Many.

“The common thread is texture and a bit of undone-ness elsewhere in the outfit.”

However, while you want that relaxed, “undone” feel, both experts agree that pushing the look into a full, hype-driven streetwear direction is a bridge too far.

“I probably wouldn’t pair an Akubra with a very relaxed, oversized streetwear outfit,” says Robért. “To me, those two styles don’t really go together.”

To help you hit that sweet spot between rugged heritage and city styling, here are three ways to wear the hat in everyday life:

1. The High-Low Mix

An Akubra looks effortlessly cool against tailoring, provided it isn’t too stiff or corporate.

“A soft unstructured blazer over a tee, worn with the hat—cool and confident rather than costume,” Fourie says.

Pair a dropped-shoulder blazer with straight-leg denim and top it with a Stylemaster or Banjo Paterson.

2. Refined Heritage

If you want to lean into the classic Australian roots of the hat, keep the pieces premium and well-cut. Robért suggests gravitating towards a subtle country vibe.

“Think quality casual shirts, well-cut jeans, a good leather belt, and a pair of R.M. Williams boots or structured Chelsea boots.”

3. The Summer Weekend

When the weather warms up, the hat transitions seamlessly into casual wear. Pair a lighter-toned Akubra with tailored shorts, a premium heavy-weight T-shirt, or a breezy linen shirt. It’s perfect for a weekend barbecue or a music festival.

The Face Shape Cheat Sheet

Face Shape	How to Pick Your Hat	The Best Akubra Styles
Diamond	Go for medium brims to balance out sharp cheekbones, and look for pinched crowns.	Stylemaster, Leisure Time
Heart	Stick to medium brims. Avoid super wide brims that make your forehead look broader.	Traveller, Banjo Paterson
Rectangle / Long	Choose shorter crowns to help balance your face length. Stay away from tall, towering crowns.	Coober Pedy, Stylemaster
Round	Look for higher, angular crowns (like a sharp crease) to add structure and elongate your face.	Cattleman, Banjo Paterson
Square	Soften your jawline with gentler angles and slightly floppier brims. Pull the hat a bit lower on your forehead.	Avalon, Traveller

Scroll horizontally to view full table

3 Mistakes That Make an Akubra Look Like Dress-Up

There are three styling sins that turn an Akubra from a great accessory into an outback costume. Here’s exactly what to avoid, straight from the experts.

1. Going Full “Head-to-Toe” Country Kit

“The biggest mistake is treating the hat as part of a costume rather than an accessory,” says Fourie. “If you’re tempted to go full head-to-toe country kit in the middle of the city, you’re pushing fancy dress rather than personal style. Let the Akubra or Stetson be the rugged, characterful piece and keep everything else pared back. Dark jeans, a plain jacket, clean boots or loafers. I love the Bared Radium black loafer for exactly this.”

2. Wearing It Ironically

“When you wear an Akubra, it shouldn’t feel like a costume,” warns Robért. “Wear it because you genuinely want to wear it, not because you’re trying to be ‘Mr Australiana’ or wearing it ironically. Don’t just wear it. Let it become part of you, an extension of your personality.”

3. Having a Wardrobe That’s Too Minimal

“If your whole wardrobe is minimal, clean-lined, all black everything, either hat will always look bolted on. They’re inherently characterful pieces and need an outfit with a bit of personality to meet them halfway,” says Fourie. 

The Verdict: Confidence is Key

An Akubra is an investment piece that gets better every year. The felt softens, the shape moulds to your head, and it starts to tell a story. Wearing one in the city is a statement of confidence.

“Hats have so much personality. They become an extension of the person wearing them and can actually add a little bit of charisma,” says Robért.

“Wearing an Akubra says, ‘I’m not a trend follower. I dance to the beat of my own drum.’ If everyone followed all the rules all the time, fashion would become pretty boring.”

The outback might be its birthplace, but the city’s ready for it.

Akubra FAQs

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