A Carolina boy comes home to inject fun, fashion, and felt into the local hat game
Big-rimmed, high-crowned, dented in the middle, accented on the side—no matter the style, every hat catches Cam Bolton’s eye. “Hats are just interesting,” the milliner reveals. “If you look at the history of hats, they’ve represented status, they’ve made fashion statements, they’ve provided function and served as tools. As styles ebb and flow, there’s a place for all of them.”
The one-time football coach from Marion saw COVID as an open door to explore the West. What was supposed to be a quick stop at the Grand Tetons turned into a 14-month odyssey into beaver-felt hat-making in the heart of Jackson, Wyoming. “I had no plan other than to stay through the winter,” the 33-year-old admits. “But I fell in love with shaping, crafting cowboy hats, and doing different fashion stuff.”
The Carolinas eventually called Bolton home, and he brought his newfound skills to the Upstate, opening The Whiskey Hatter last spring. “When I started coming into my own as a shaper and hat maker, I had a really good friend, and we’d sip whisky and make hats,” he shares. “We’d bounce ideas off each other and come up with pretty cool collaborations. That was it for me.”
With a digital presence, pop-up shops, and open markets, The Whiskey Hatter is quickly becoming known for its custom quality. Each hat is made to meet an individual’s size and styling. Bolton says, “Greenville’s such a growing place with culture. It’s been a good place to introduce fur-felt fashion, and with the country elements around the area, cowboy stuff works well here too.”
With shows like “Yellowstone” driving western hats and influencers introducing on-style trends, Bolton has fielded requests for all. “Fedora, flat brims, cowboy. It’s all out there,” South Carolina’s only custom-felt hat maker explains. “The important thing has been educating folks on the quality of fur felt. It’s not one-size-fits-all, bought off a shelf. You may spend $300 to 500 on the low-end, but the hat lasts 30 to 40 years. You hand it down to your grandkids.”
Tip of the Cap to The Whiskey Hatter
The war in Ukraine initially crimped felt supplies, but he’s found other distributors, even delivering bright orange to spirited Clemson Tigers. While most milliners can take up to three months to craft a custom-made hat, Bolton is committed to cutting the wait and is churning out several dozen a month for clients, including musicians. As a drummer himself as a kid, he embraces the beat of this new, creative outlet. “It’s an art,” he states. “I do a lot of hats that are clean and simple, and yet I’m always adding some artistic interpretation.”
Bone and silver belly beaver-blend felts. Arrowhead crowns. Animal headbands, silver buttons, bird feathers, and playing cards. Bolton mixes contrasting elements to create a perfect-fitting, lifetime-lasting, sharp chapeau. “I just enjoy it,” he reflects. “For me, the experience of it all, that’s what draws me to it. The time spent with an individual, and they’re stoked they just got a complete custom piece of work they’ll have forever? That’s what makes it cool for me.” Hats off.
Photography by Brittany Twichell Photography
