A look at the new lid by Pharrell’s hat maker Nick Fouquet
Chill with the sombreros — Mexico has other headgear on offer.
At Las Ventanas al Paraíso (from $1,190 per night), a Rosewood Resort in Los Cabos, the hotel has launched a new partnership with the celebrated French-American fashion designer Nick Fouquet, known for making custom hats for A-list clients like Pharrell, J.Lo, Lady Gaga, Tom Brady and Madonna (to name a few).
While his hats are more rock-and-roll than mariachi, Fouquet’s toppers are rooted in traditional crafts. With a background in environmental studies and sustainable development, the designer found his talent 15 years ago.
“I saw a cowboy in a beautiful hat and fell in love with it,” Fouquet told The Post. “He explained how it was made and told me there were only, maybe 40 hat makers in the US. So, I thought, “Let’s make it 41.”
![A close up of designer Nick Fouquet.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000010894718.jpg?w=683)
Working from his shop and studio on Abbot Kinney Boulevard in Venice Beach, California, Fouquet creates the hats via a labor-intensive process using traditional wood blocks, then adds a dose of imagination.
The results attracted hat-prone celebs like ZZ Top’s Billy Gibbons, Bob Dylan, Gigi Hadid, David Beckham and Bono.
But it was his collaboration with Pharrell on his signature oversize Vivienne Westwood-designed lid that gave Fouquet household visibility.
![A lounge area at Las Ventanas al Paraiso.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000010646096.jpg?w=1024)
![Stays at Las Ventanas al Paraíso start from $1,190 per night.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000010646086.jpg?w=1024)
“I think it is because my work is nontraditional and I saw all this untapped creativity in hat making,” he said of his success. “Hats enhance the aura, the vibe. They have that power. They have a magical capability.”
The exclusive Las Ventanas al Paraíso hat is made of Ecuadorian toquilla straw, a sustainably harvested, renewable material, and embellished with intricate Huichol beading from a local Wixárika artisan in Los Cabos.
Fouquet explains that it’s an Ecuadorean straw hat, often mistakenly called a Panama hat.
“It has a traditional weave and a classic teardrop crown,” he said. “We tea-dyed the canvas band. We worked with Don Victor Florentino, an indigenous Mexican artist, who did this beautiful embellishment.”
![Close up of one of the hats.](https://nypost.com/wp-content/uploads/sites/2/2023/05/NYPICHPDPICT000010894724.jpg?w=1024)
Fouquet’s first batch of hats sold like hot cakes and the resort — which offers a few other Fouquet hats at the property — plans to continue the relationship.
“This is a fascinating crossover of fashion and hospitality,” said Fouquet. “The resort has that luxury edge, and I think they want guests to experience that on all levels. It’s been an unexpected, beautiful relationship.”
But guests who don’t spring for a $1,000 hat won’t go home empty headed — they get a useful (and attractive) sun hat to use on their vacation, which they can take home. “It’s a traveling memory book,” said Fouquet. “You take it home and you’re bringing back the experience with you.”