Kangol Headwear makes berets, bucket hats and flat caps, largely in wool and wool blends. Hat sizing is unforgiving and the materials have specific needs, which is where most disappointment comes from.
Measure your head properly
Hat sizing is a measurement, not a guess, and a hat that is wrong is unwearable rather than merely imperfect.
Measure around your head with a soft tape, about a centimetre above your ears and across the widest part of the back of the skull. Keep the tape level.
Measure twice. A centimetre out moves you a full size.
If you are between sizes, go up on a fitted hat. A hat slightly too large sits a little lower and can be padded with a sizing strip; a hat too small leaves a mark on your forehead and gives you a headache.
Check whether a style is fitted, adjustable or one-size. One-size on a structured hat usually means it suits a narrow band of head sizes rather than everyone.
Hair volume changes fit noticeably. Measure with your hair as you normally wear it.
Wool and felt need specific care
Wool shrinks with heat and agitation, and a shrunken hat cannot be recovered. That is the single most common way a good hat is ruined.
Never machine wash a wool hat and never tumble dry one. Both felt the fibres permanently.
Spot clean with cool water and a cloth. For dust and lint, a soft brush or a lint roller works.
If a wool hat gets soaked, let it dry naturally at room temperature, away from radiators and direct sun, on something that holds its shape. Heat is what deforms it while damp.
Wool attracts moths. Store clean — moths are drawn to skin oils and sweat more than to the wool itself — and use proper moth protection for long storage.
Keeping the shape
How you store a hat matters more than how you clean it.
Never hang a structured hat on a hook. It stretches the spot it hangs from and deforms permanently.
Store a brimmed hat resting on its crown or in a box. Store a beret or a flat cap flat.
Stuff the crown with acid-free tissue for long storage so it holds its form.
Do not leave a hat on a car parcel shelf or a sunny windowsill. Heat and UV both fade and warp.
Handle a brim by the brim, not the crown — repeatedly pinching the crown wears through the fabric at that point.
Materials and what suits when
Wool felt is warm, holds shape well and is not waterproof.
Wool blends and knits are softer and more forgiving of fit, and they pill.
Cotton and canvas bucket styles are cooler, washable in some cases, and less structured.
Check the composition before assuming a hat can be washed. Many cannot.
The Kangol styles people buy most
Kangol is best known for the 504 flat cap, the Bermuda Casual bucket hat and its berets, most carrying the kangaroo logo.
The 504 is a close-fitting flat cap made in several materials, including wool and Tropic, a lighter textured yarn. Kangol sizes it by head measurement, so the tape measure advice above applies.
The Bermuda Casual is a soft, textured bucket hat that is more forgiving of fit than the structured Kangol styles. It is also warmer than it looks.
A wool Kangol beret or cap is a cold-weather hat. For summer, look at the Tropic or cotton Kangol styles, which breathe better.
Buying genuine Kangol
Kangol's popularity means copies turn up on marketplaces. Buying from the Kangol Headwear site or a known retailer avoids that risk.
On anything second-hand, check the inside label and the logo stitching, and treat a price far below the usual Kangol range as a warning sign.
Genuine Kangol hats list their material and size on the inside label. If a listing cannot tell you the size in centimetres or the fibre content, ask before buying.
Where the Kangol Headwear savings are
Kangol Headwear codes cluster at modest levels:
Because most sit at 10-15%, any working Kangol code in that band is equivalent. Several are single-use and may be spent — test a couple at checkout.
End-of-season clearance goes deeper, and a classic hat shape does not date.
Given how unforgiving hat sizing is, check the return terms before ordering. Buying two sizes to compare is reasonable if returns are straightforward.
Common questions
How do I measure for a hat?
Soft tape around the head, a centimetre above the ears, level. Measure twice and size up if between.
Can I wash a wool hat?
Not in a machine. Heat and agitation felt the wool permanently. Spot clean and air dry.
How should I store it?
Never on a hook. Rest a brimmed hat on its crown or box it; store flat caps and berets flat.
Which Kangol hat should I start with?
The 504 for a flat cap, the Bermuda Casual for a relaxed bucket hat. Measure your head first either way.
| Discount | Type | Get the deal |
|---|---|---|
| 15% off | Promo code | View at Kangol Headwear → |
| 10% off | Promo code | View at Kangol Headwear → |
| 5% off | Promo code | View at Kangol Headwear → |
| 15% off | Promo code | View at Kangol Headwear → |
