HUNTSVILLE, Ala. (AP) – Reginald Corbitt has a big head. Literally. A size-eight cranium. If we’re talking small-medium-large increments, he’s a double extra-large. Growing up in Huntsville, it was a struggle for Corbitt to find many hats in his size.
Even so, hats became a signature look for him. To the extent that while attending Lee High School some referred to him as “Reggie, the one with the hats.” (There were two Reggies in their circle.) After Corbitt’s family moved to Oklahoma, it wasn’t uncommon for folks there to know him as “The Hat Dude.”
“Hats were always something I could add as an extra element to my outfit and my style,” Corbitt says. “And it was something that just stood out the most. The first thing that people would notice was the hat that I was wearing.”
When he was actually able to find more hats his size – and we’re talking fedora, bowler, porkpie type headwear – they often weren’t available in the colors he wanted. The rest of Corbitt grew to match his big head. At 6-foot-two and stout, he worked in physical security, investigations and personal protection.
While residing in Washington D.C., and still never quite satisfied with hat options in his size, he decided to learn how to make hats. An acquaintance connected Corbitt with a local milliner whose hattery had recently closed. During a few in-person sessions, that milliner showed him the basics. Corbitt took it from there, making fedoras and other hats at his home in his spare time. He continued to learn the craft on his own, through experience and watching YouTube tutorials.