Hats off to the Hatter

D James Fine Hats

Billings, MT

Written by Cyd Hoefle 
Photographed by Stu Hoefle

Combined with my love of fashion, I have the confidence to make suggestions as far as style and shape for my client. This has been a perfect blend of my art and science backgrounds.

The cowboy hat is one of the most defining statements of a cowboy’s image. First introduced in the mid-1800s as head protection from the elements, the cowboy hat has evolved into an iconic expression in the world of western wear. 

Now a 70-billion-dollar industry, it was John B. Stetson who first introduced the cowboy hat. Rather ordinary in design, the purpose was function over fashion. Today, it’s a fashion statement in its own right as the popularity of the cowboy hat continues to make waves across the country. 

At D James Fine Hats in downtown Billings, proprietor and hatmaker, Darren Hackey isn’t just making hats for function, he’s designing custom, heirloom hats of the finest quality to surpass generations.

Everything about walking in the doors of D James Fine Hats is an experience, from sitting down with a whiskey while Darren measures and determines your size and sense of style, to the desired materials, to the final fitting.

“We’ve tried to build our business intentionally and slowly so we can truly give people an experience,” Darren said. “This should be fun, so we make sure it is. We take the time to understand exactly what our customers want.”

Before becoming a hatmaker, Darren worked as a physical therapist at Billings Clinic where he was accustomed to full days tending to patients recovering from orthopedic surgery. With the shutdown of elective surgeries during the Covid pandemic, Darren was only seeing patients one day per week. In addition, his favorite pastime, playing weekend music gigs in bars and breweries was also squelched.  For the first time in years, Darren found himself with something he’d never had before: time on his hands. 

“It was the first time since I’d started my career that I actually slowed down long enough to realize how burned out I was,” Darren said.

Hat making was something he’d entertained before, but never with enough interest or time to pursue.

“It’s a very historic and guarded trade,” he said. “Fortunately, I found a couple of local hatters to apprentice under.”

Apprenticing under two different hatters with very different approaches to the art of hat making expedited Darren’s learning curve. 

“There’s a lot to learn and I feel very fortunate to have learned under two talented hatters,” he said.

Darren started slowly while maintaining his full-time career and working nights and weekends on his craft until his hats were of the quality to sell to close friends and family. 

“I posted my journey on social media and started getting inquiries. It spread from there,” he said. 

Soon enough, the hat order list was growing and Darren, with the encouragement and support of his wife, Lea, decided to quit his job and concentrate on hat making full time.

In the four years since opening, his business has flourished, propelled further by a move to a downtown Billings location in a space seemingly custom made for a hat shop. Shelves display ready-made hats for sale and locally crafted hat bands. A large work bench houses an industrial sewing machine and tools of the trade and a comfortable sofa and armchair invite customers to sit and chat. 

The past year’s sales have surpassed Darren’s expectations. He believes it’s due to his customer service and the quality of his craftsmanship and materials – not to mention his invitation to his customers to “have a whiskey and stay a while.”  

“I assessed people’s bodies for a living in a very anatomical, objective kind of way,” Darren said. “Combined with my love of fashion, I have the confidence to make suggestions as far as style and shape for my client. This has been a perfect blend of my art and science backgrounds.” 

Recently the business became sustainable enough for Lea to quit her job and partner with Darren. Together, they have big plans for the business including a portable hat shop with ready to buy hats, shaping and custom orders. 

“Forever I felt like I was swimming upstream, I was a physical therapist and a musician and they always kind of fought each other.  Now I’m perfectly balanced and satisfied in my work,” Darren said. “I’m finally swimming downstream.” 

Visit D James Fine Hats at 102 N Broadway, Billings, MT or at https://www.djamesmt.com/