Snapshots At The Wellema Hat Co. 8th Anniversary Party

One of the best things about being into menswear is that it’s allowed me to meet some amazing people. Artisans are a big part of that, blending form and function to create truly exceptional garments that are filled with the voice of both the creator and the wearer. Most of the ones I’ve met have been in passing, either on a trip or as they travel through Los Angeles (yet another point to New York I guess). However, there is one here in my little alcove of Northeast LA that I’ve been fortunate enough to become good friends with: Cody Wellema of the Wellema Hat Co.

Cody is one of the best hat makers in the world. I’ve written about him before, interviewed him on Style & Direction, and have attended multiple events at his store, but I can never get enough of the guy. He adds so much to the rich history of millinery, making hats all by hand in his little Altadena store.

He makes the case for the hat he makes for you to be just that, a hat— something you throw on because you want to. It can be a fedora, a Milanese straw, or something western; a Wellema will be as loyal as your favorite blazer or jeans. It’s no wonder why people love his hats. The fact that he’s worn by local guys, bespoke enthusiasts, and period dressers alike is a testament to his expert craft.

I’ve been so lucky to have met him a bit early on when his atelier was just shy of three years; I even served as his content photographer for a minute. I still make a point to visit him when I can (when he’s not busy cranking out orders) and always recommend him to anyone who is looking for a great hat (and can’t find what they want in vintage). I’ve seen him in action a few times and it’s just like seeing an expert tailor take a client through a commission. It isn’t a hard sell, but a counselor that helps you figure out what you want to express (unless you really have a strong identity to begin with).

In many ways, Cody echoes my own journey with menswear. It’s not necessarily about vintage or being some abstraction of a “gentleman”. No, a Wellema is about self expression with the best item possible. Whatever it is, it can have nods to the tastes that are relevant in our life: vintage or modern, casual or formal. Cody expresses this not only in the hats he makes but in his own personal style. He and I have certainly come a long way from our period-only roots!

It’s crazy that Cody and his store have been in my backyard now for eight years. So much has happened since then. The Bloke and Ascot Chang have shuttered its doors. Ghiaia Cashmere and Buck Mason are the big dogs running the LA classic menswear scene (outside of vintage/fleas). The types of people who wear blazers and loafers has expanded. But Cody has been here, making hats with Maddie for nearly a decade, serving all manner of clients with their fedora related needs (and believe me, we need it). And not only has Cody expanded his custom hat offering to include the aforementioned straw and western styles (he started out strictly in dress fedoras), but his shop now acts a full service Americana store to include selections of vintage hats and garments (as well as much). There have definitely been changes, but its all firmly Cody Wellema.

He celebrated the occasion with a quaint block party which I was obviously super excited to attend. Not only was his last event back in 2019 for his three-year anniversary but there hasn’t been a true menswear event in LA in quite sometime…at least the ones I’m able to attend (Buck Mason once had an event on a Thursday at 2-5PM. I have a normal job guys!)

To honor Cody and be “on theme” for the party, I was set on wearing my bespoke brown fedora. It’s the first hat he ever made for me (being around 5-6 years old) and it has gained the appropriate amount of character in that time.

A brown fedora is plenty versatile so to give myself some prompt I decided to make an outfit in a way that also encapsulates my own menswear journey thus far. The end was obviously going to be Apparel Arts, fall edition. I wore my newly acquired flannel guncheck jacket from The Armoury sample sale and paired with wide legged grey flannels, a commission from Atelier Fugue from a year ago; a blue striped spearpoint and green polka dot tie made for the pattern mixing trifecta that always feels quite 30s. I was very proud of this fit (when am I not tbh) and it felt just right to celebrate Wellema with my friends!

Couldn’t find an exact match but this is the vibe!

The party itself was a bit intimate but it was lovely seeing everyone who popped by! Jeff P. of The Bloke (RIP) spun vintage records while guests held their libations and ate Side Pie pizza, generously provided by Cody and his family. On that note, there were quite a few kids, adding to the theme of how our lives have changed over the years! There were so many cool cats, some old and some new, each with truly amazing personal style. Garret Gooch, Aram (RIP 2120), Brian The Bootmaker, and others all made an appearance, serving as a bit of a fun reunion of what local LA menswear is about. I was even able to catch up with Jonathan Stout who I previously saw play jazz guitar at Cody’s years ago. I’m just glad there was something happening to bring people together! We need that, especially for us enthusiasts who are here because we enjoy clothing.

As expected, I took a few photo-journalistic snapshots of the event. Again, I haven’t had the chance to do anything like that since NYC, so I’m grateful that Cody provided me the opportunity to get off on my ~~voyeurism~~ draw to be a documentarian.

Congrats to Cody! Can’t wait until we celebrate the Hundreth.

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