Straw boater: the hat that built Luton - A talk about history and legacy

 
 

Straw Boater Talk Brings Luton’s Hat Heritage to Life

As part of Heritage Open Days 2025, we were delighted to host Straw Boater: The Hat That Built Luton — an engaging talk by Anderson Hatters, exploring the history, craft and global legacy of Luton’s iconic straw hat industry.

Held at Hat Works, the talk drew a full audience and offered unique insights into how a cottage industry became a symbol of international style and local pride.

Anderson Hatters is a member of the Creative Pioneers 2025 cohort — a year-long start-up programme supported by Arts Council England and Luton Rising.

This talk is just one of a series of events and workshops being delivered by this year’s Pioneers. The (sold out) Look to the Rooftops writing workshop, led by Marra Theatre, is next — with more coming soon.

Explore highlights from the evening below.