{"id":11317,"date":"2017-04-27T05:00:57","date_gmt":"2017-04-27T09:00:57","guid":{"rendered":"http:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/?p=11317"},"modified":"2017-04-11T14:36:26","modified_gmt":"2017-04-11T18:36:26","slug":"viennas-muhlbauer-hatmaker-to-the-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/?p=11317","title":{"rendered":"Vienna\u2019s M\u00fchlbauer, Hatmaker to the Stars"},"content":{"rendered":"
\"Klaus<\/a>

Klaus M\u00fchlbauer in front of the “hat oven” at the M\u00fchlbauer atelier in central Vienna (photo by \u00a9MRNY)<\/p><\/div>\n

During the Depression in Vienna, it was not uncommon for the Viennese to keep rabbits and chickens on their apartment balconies\u2014not only for food but also for their skins and feathers. Klaus M\u00fchlbauer, the fourth-generation owner of M\u00fchlbauer<\/a>, remembers his grandparents speaking about the ladies who would come into the family millinery to exchange five rabbit skins for one new hat.<\/p>\n

For four generations, the M\u00fchlbauer family has been cloaking the heads of fashionable Austrians and, in the process, the family-owned business has become one of Vienna<\/a>\u2019s most recognizable luxury brands. As a \u201chat maker to the stars,\u201d M\u00fchlbauer<\/a> has \u201chatted\u201d numerous celebrities such as Madonna, Brad Pitt, Lady Gaga, Victoria Beckham, and Kate Moss.<\/p>\n

\"At<\/a>

At the M\u00fchlbauer atelier in central Vienna (photo by \u00a9MRNY)<\/p><\/div>\n

\u201cThe fascination for making hats lies in designing for the most visible part of the human body, the head,\u201d contends M\u00fchlbauer who has been managing the company since 2001. The great-grandson of the founder was in no hurry to assume the family millinery mantle\u2014at least not until his own youthful rebellion was followed by an epiphany regarding the beauty of artisanal craftsmanship. As M\u00fchlbauer states, \u201cThe combination of sure instinct and knowhow can result in true wonders of creation: endowing style and identity.\u201d<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>

From the M\u00fchlbauer Spring\/Summer 2017 collection (photo by \u00a9M\u00fchlbauer)<\/p><\/div>\n

Groundbreaking in design and flawless in their craftsmanship, M\u00fchlbauer<\/a> hats are produced at the M\u00fchlbauer atelier on Hafnersteig in central Vienna where an amiable atmosphere is underscored by the seriousness of focus. The gifted millinery team executes the visions of designers Nora Berger and Madeleine Bujatti who collaborate with M\u00fchlbauer. Materials are sourced worldwide\u2014but every hat is handmade in the Vienna workshop using traditional artisanal methods.<\/p>\n

\"M\u00fchlbauer<\/a>

M\u00fchlbauer atelier on Hafnersteig in central Vienna (photo by \u00a9MRNY)<\/p><\/div>\n

The creation of a felt or straw hat commences with a hat cone that adorns a wooden hat block, whereupon the raw material is shaped and steamed. Still damp, the hat heads to the oven to be dried before heading to the trimming department to be decorated and stitched. With hats of such exceptional quality, it\u2019s small wonder that M\u00fchlbauer\u2019s loyal customers include Meryl Streep and Yoko Ono. More than 60% of the hats produced in the Viennese workshop depart for international destinations and renowned stores<\/a> around the globe.<\/p>\n

\"Vintage<\/a>

Vintage advertising campaigns at the M\u00fchlbauer atelier on Hafnersteig in central Vienna (photo by \u00a9MRNY)<\/p><\/div>\n

Originally founded in 1903 by Julianna M\u00fchlbauer<\/a> who opened a small millinery and shop in the Viennese suburb of Floridsdorf, the business became synonymous with high quality when her eldest son, Robert, took the reins of the company. With the evolution of post-World War II haberdashery and the diminished demand for hats, M\u00fchlbauer broadened its range to include apparel. But it was a hat collection inspired by traditional Austrian costumes that initially generated international interest and sales.<\/p>\n

Sensing the zeitgeist and the desire for brand heritage, Klaus M\u00fchlbauer has shepherded the traditional hatmaker back to its headgear roots. The expansion of the brand\u2019s global reach<\/a> has coincided with a heightened awareness amongst fashion\u2019s elite.<\/p>\n

\"From<\/a>

From the M\u00fchlbauer Spring\/Summer 2017 collection (photo by \u00a9M\u00fchlbauer)<\/p><\/div>\n

For its Autumn\/Winter 2016\/17<\/a> collection, M\u00fchlbauer focused on the theme \u201cNations United.\u201d As M\u00fchlbauer suggests, the Unity collection is the house\u2019s \u201cmodest contribution to world peace\u201d in which various icons of headwear such as the fez, turban, bowler hat, top hat, and beret have been translated into a contemporary, urban language that cuts across time and national borders.<\/p>\n

As has become a M\u00fchlbauer tradition, every hat from the M\u00fchlbauer workshops is decorated with its iconic hat pin, a sweeping M<\/em> that epitomizes the company\u2019s values and commitment to quality.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"

During the Depression in Vienna, it was not uncommon for the Viennese to keep rabbits and chickens on their apartment balconies\u2014not only for food but also for their skins and feathers. Klaus M\u00fchlbauer, the fourth-generation owner of M\u00fchlbauer, remembers his … Read More<\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":2,"featured_media":11324,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"jetpack_post_was_ever_published":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_access":"","_jetpack_dont_email_post_to_subs":false,"_jetpack_newsletter_tier_id":0,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paywalled_content":false,"_jetpack_memberships_contains_paid_content":false,"footnotes":"","jetpack_publicize_message":"","jetpack_publicize_feature_enabled":true,"jetpack_social_post_already_shared":true,"jetpack_social_options":{"image_generator_settings":{"template":"highway","default_image_id":0,"font":"","enabled":false},"version":2}},"categories":[135,136,137],"tags":[2973,2968,2972,2974,2967,1486,2969,2971,2970],"class_list":["post-11317","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-design","category-fashion","category-style","tag-klaus-muehlbauer","tag-klaus-muhlbauer","tag-muehlbauer","tag-muehlbauer-hats","tag-muhlbauer","tag-vienna","tag-vienna-hatmaker","tag-vienna-luxury","tag-vienna-milliner"],"jetpack_publicize_connections":[],"jetpack_featured_media_url":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2017\/03\/IMG_6254-1.jpg","jetpack_shortlink":"https:\/\/wp.me\/p31sdB-2Wx","jetpack_sharing_enabled":true,"jetpack_likes_enabled":true,"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11317","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/2"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=11317"}],"version-history":[{"count":3,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11317\/revisions"}],"predecessor-version":[{"id":11329,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/11317\/revisions\/11329"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/11324"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=11317"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=11317"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/www.mrnystyleandtravel.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=11317"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}