The Cordovan hat, a traditional accessory at Malaga's feria

Though there is no strict code, lots of people definitely get dressed up for the fair in Malaga. Men, as well as more and more women, prefer to wear wide-brimmed hats known as the 'sombrero cordobés' or Cordovan hat.

As the name suggests, the hat originates from the city of Cordoba, although the origin of this style is unclear. Day labourers wearing ‘cordobeses’ were depicted on 17th-century drawings. In the late 19th and early 20th centuries, this style of hat became more widespread throughout Andalucía and Spain, especially among horse riders and carriage drivers. The hats were usually worn with a traditional Andalusian short jacket.

For 140 years, Cordovan and other high-quality hats have been manufactured at the Fernández y Roche factory, located in Salteras, a small town near Seville. In 1885, Antonio Fernández Caro and Antonio Roche Verdugo opened a workshop in the Andalusian capital. From the very beginning, the most modern technologies were introduced into production. Hundreds of employees, mainly women, worked in premises covering an area of approximately 4,000 square metres.

All types of wide-brimmed hats, including Italian and English models, were produced at the factory, mainly for the domestic market. The business grew rapidly, but at the beginning of the 20th century, hats went out of fashion. It is believed that the crisis in the hat industry was caused by an Englishman. Edward VIII, King of Great Britain, who was considered a fashion icon at the time, stopped wearing hats. In addition, the Spanish Civil War gave rise to men dressing without a hat.

Nevertheless, Fernández y Roche continued production, focusing on combining modernity and tradition… handcrafted. The entire process at the company is manual and artisanal: some of their products undergo a complex process involving more than a couple of hundred meticulous operations.

In the 20th century, hats gradually transitioned from formal to casual. For example, pork pie hats reached the peak of their popularity in the 1960s. Thanks to new trends emerging from time to time, cooperation with companies interested in producing handmade products under their own brand, collaboration with well-known designers, as well as accepting orders from film companies, the factory has been able to stay afloat.

Dedication to their work and adaptation to international requirements have helped Fernández y Roche find loyal customers. The factory was given a new lease of life after receiving huge orders from Orthodox Jewish communities. Currently, around 100,000 hats leave the factory each year, and as a rule, two-thirds of them are destined for the Orthodox Jewish market, mainly in New York and Israel.

As for the ‘sombrero сordobés’, they are also produced and, of course, not only for folklore events. Many people love Cordovan hats and wear them not only for folklore events though regularly and other special occasions.

For example, when The Beatles visited Spain, they wore Cordovan hats as a symbol of the country.

The fictional characters Zorro and Black Hat (from The Priest) are often depicted wearing hats of this style.

Incidentally, the wide-brimmed hat that covered Melania Trump's face during the inauguration ceremony was immediately compared to the Cordovan style, and some even hinted at its Seville manufacturing. It seems that these hats are in vogue, and on hot August days, they can help avoid sunstroke while remaining in the fairground style.