A Special Numbered Limited Edition!
(only
75 will be custom made-to-order!)
Inspired
by Marlon Brando's famous cap
he wore in the classic motorcycle Motion Picture
“The Wild One”!
This
history making cap is also the inspiration for the one
worn by Shia LeBeouf (and crafted by Baron Hats) as the
character of Mutt Williams in "Indiana Jones and
the Kingdom of the Crystal Skull"!
...and
thus with those two simple lines of dialogue, and wearing
THAT AMAZING BIKER CAP, a revolution was born! Yes, this
is the cap. This is the one! The original. The classic.
From "The
Wild One". The first true motorcycle movie. A ground-breaking
film that introduced a whole new world to a whole
new American lifestyle. And with it, a whole new American
Movie Genre: The modern young outlaw with a bike. The rebel.
The anti-hero. The independent spirit, who wore his tortured
soul on his chest like a medal of honor. "The Wild
One" slammed the symbol of youthful rebellion right
in the face of a 1950s psychic still numb from a debilitating
depression and a harrowing war. The older generation
just wanted a simple June and Ward Cleaver life. They felt
they deserved it. And perhaps they did. They had won the
war, and to them all was now right with the world. But the
new postwar generation sensed that much was still very wrong.
They couldn't grasp what it was nor offer any solution.
The solution may not have come... but the "instrument"
to scream the pain, as raw as biting down on an exposed
nerve, sure did! And it thundered from the heavens in the
form of one Marlon Brando, whose chiseled-in-ice portrayal
of motorcycle gang leader "Johnny" crystallized
the angst, and gave a lost generation their "rebel
yell". And in the process, American Youth was never,
ever the same.
I'm sure there's no coincidence that the film's writer's
choose to name him "Johnny", as in "Johnny
Reb", the term coined to describe the most stubborn,
independent and violent of Confederate Rebel Soldiers
during our Civil War.
Brando is the leader of a motorcycle gang called the "Black
Rebels". He and his gang ride into the little American
town of "Wrightsville" on their 650cc Triumph
Thunderbird's, (Brando in fact, rides his own personal bike!),
just for the fun of terrorizing the town's "sleepy
people". (Ironically, they all ride British made bikes,
and interestingly enough, the rival gang lead by a very
young Lee Marvin all rode Harleys!). The story was based
on a real incident in
Hollister, California. In both the real story and the
movie, we see, for the first time, the motorcycle as stampeding
horses for a new generation of "outlaws". "The
Wild One" introduced the motorcycle as the symbol of
youthful rebellion foretelling such films as 'Wild Angels'
(1966) and 'Easy Rider' (1969), and Brando's special biker
cap, a unique and strange wonder of construction and conflicting
styles, forever became the icon of the "Born To Ride
Like A Bat Out Of Hell" philosophy of a million bikers
with blacktop and borderless horizons in their blood.
And
now
you can own this piece of biker history!
A fanatic biker himself, Baron's Mark Mejia, owner and Master
Hatter, always dreamed of the day when he could make his
own version of the "cap that changed the world".
After extensive research he discovered what makes the cap
so unique. It's as if Brando's character misappropriated
an aviator's cap to make it his own. For who is more of
a true American hero than an aviator, especially after World
War II? But this cap has been modified... as is the bent
definition of "heroism" by Brando's character!
The crown is a one-piece parachute pattern, the brim is
constructed with a complex "raw-edge" binding,
and most unusual, the overlay hatband was made of an unique
"Rattlesnake Tail" expandable strap, very much
like a high-grade spandex watchband! After years of searching,
Mark finally found a manufacture who could recreate the
trademark Chrome-plated expandable hatband. However, finding
the exact fabric for the crown was a whole different story.
Basically it didn't exist anymore.
The original was a Camelhair textured hand woven heavy duty
wool. According to some retried customers, and notes he
uncovered, it was said that the material came from the famous
wool mills in Kerry, Ireland. As fate would have it, some
time later, Mark found himself in Ireland, working on a
movie. On a hunch, he drove down to Kerry, and spent several
days in the dark, dank Mill warehouses, wading through tons
of spools, and sure enough, finally found a few hundred
yards of the very camelhair textured wool he'd though was
all but lost! He bought every bit of it on site! It was
then that he decided that the best way to start off his
"Rebel" reproductions, was to create a "Rebel
Deluxe", a Limited Ddition cap made from the last of
this very special wool!
Please note: The color of your hat will be just like the
original. However, because of the many variances in computer
monitors, the color you see on your screen may be slightly
different that the actual custom made hat. Rest assured,
you are getting the original hat in the original color!
Only 75 caps can
be made from this limited supply. Each cap
will be hand cut and crafted. So
own your own piece of history before
they're all grabbed up. Or as Johnny liked
to say:
"Now, if you're gonna stay cool, you got to wheel.
You gotta put something down, you gotta
make some jive, don't you know what I'm
talkin' about?"
-- Johnny "The Wild One"
Each
cap comes with specially made lambskin sweatband with "REBEL
DELUXE" embossed in gold and your series number (example
#5 of 75), plus a certificate of authenticity with your
name and series number.
VISOR: 2 ¼" 100% American leather -
semi-gloss with raw-edge binding
HAT BAND: 10" x 1/2"
Self-Binding, overlaid with special
chrome-plated "Rattlesnake Tail"
expandable strap
The Rebel Deluxe
Limited Edition
There Are Currently
12 of 75 Hats Still Available
All numbers are the same price except for #1 and #75 Please See Chart Below
Limited
Edition numbers are assigned for the “Rebel Deluxe” on a
“random” basis. However, if you would like a specific number,
please check the chart above to see what numbers are still
available, and if there’s a certain number you’d like that
is still open, simply include that number in the “Special
Instructions” section of the order form in our shopping
cart when "checking out".
In
the event that two orders come in with the same requested
number, we will check the time of the order and the earliest
one will win! The other customer will be contacted to
choose another number. If you do not specify a specific
number, we will simply assign you the next available one
on the list.
"Rebel
Deluxe" #00 (prototype) has been sold, but #01 and
#75 are still available. If you are interested in either
of these very special numbers, please e-mail
us for pricing details.
.
"The
Rebel Deluxe" cap is made in the style of classic caps
as are standard in the costume industry. Baron Hats, Inc.,
is not affiliated in any way, nor do they by fact or inference
imply to hold any rights or authorization, rights of association
or sponsorship or endorsement of the use of any copyrights
or trademarks as held by any individuals, or companies mentioned
or pictured in association with this offer, including, but
not limited to Marlon Brando, or his associates or assignees,
Columbia Pictures, or Stanley Kramer Productions, Inc.
tory
of the making of the Indy cap in the LOS ANGELES TIMES
The original was a Camelhair textured hand woven heavy duty
wool. According to some retried customers, and notes he
uncovered, it was said that the material came from the famous
wool mills in Kerry, Ireland. As fate would have it, some
time later, Mark found himself in Ireland, working on a
movie. On a hunch, he drove down to Kerry, and spent several
days in the dark, dank Mill warehouses, wading through tons
of spools, and sure enough, finally found a few hundred
yards of the very camelhair textured wool he'd though was
all but lost! He bought every bit of it on site! It was
then that he decided that the best way to start off his
"Rebel" reproductions, was to create a "Rebel
Deluxe", a Limited Ddition cap made from the last of
this very special wool! 
