style
FUNCTIONAL SUMMER STYLE
TRUE WEST HATS Words by Kim Fuller
CHARLIE RUTLEDGE
A
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fter spending years traveling internationally
ceramicists who made your plates. We became
and living in South America, Charlie and
accustomed to the quality and time and art that
April Selman moved to Paonia, Colorado to raise
it took to make beautiful, functional items.”
a family and start their new business, True West
Hats.
“makers” movement and serendipitously fell
“The inspiration for our business came
into hat making, a trade that April says matched
from almost ten years of living internationally
their desire for quality, functionality and artistic
in Chile, Argentina and Mexico,” shares April.
expression.
“Most of that time was spent in a small wine-
producing area of Argentina. We were very far
in our shop, just the way they want,” she adds.
from any big city or major shopping area, and
“We now offer full-service custom hat making,
the people tended to make what they needed
repairs and restorations, as well as make private
instead of purchasing mass-produced products.
label hats for retailers around Colorado, and we
There were shoe makers, furniture makers, even
sell online.”
They returned to the U.S. at the start of the
“We can custom design a hat with our clients
