Designer and instigator of Red Hat Factory, constantly hungry for mountainous adventures.
Benjamin Antoni Andersen
Especially after we doubled down on our focus in 2021, we’ve attempted to be singular in our aim. But below the tight knit surface is a winding road, ups and downs, and misty fields with dark shapes moving in the shadows. And I’ve always wanted to share bits and pieces of that journey with you. […]
News Reel
1. Our most classic hand knit wool beanie The Southlander was made to be a clean classic using high quality wool. Inspired by icons such as Jacques Cousteau, and his fictive derivative Steve Zissou, we’ve made the red model a cornerstone in our beanie collection. But it does come in other colors as well. With […]
Beanies and Style
The point is at the top. Indulge me one more, and I will answer your question properly. The point of a fisherman beanie is to put a beanie on the fisherman. Why we actually wear fisherman beanies The real question you have about fisherman beanies is usually “why are they folded above the ears.” There […]
Beanies and Style
And left was… Well. It was not quite like that. But kinda. Being a company that still lingers in pre-industrial-revolution times, I have thought a lot about what AI means for the stuff that is made by hands and minds. What will happed to those passion filled moments where your fingers make a constant drumroll […]
Red Hat Culture
It was in the warmth of my parents house. My mom was messing around with the knitting needles, and came up with a new design. She called me up in Stockholm, and showed it to me — my dad as the semi-voluntary model, as per usual. It was an instant classic. I knew it the […]
News Reel
We can have more, faster, using machines. But somehow humans are drawn to old timey handcraft anyway. Why is that?
Red Hat Culture
Now that we have several years of beanie related content behind us, we’ve learned quite a bit along the way. We even dug deep into the etymology of several of the most common beanie names. After all, if you want to know what a word means, the clearest path to take is that of language. […]
Beanies and Style
We’ve often mentioned the red fisherman beanie carrying characters Steve Zissou and Jacques Cousteau as inspirers and poster children for the red beanies. Zissou is a fictional character, based on the real life Cousteau — and they are connected to the sea. However. They aren’t fishermen. So why would I argue the red beanie is […]
Beanies and Style
Honestly, I’ve questioned why I started this brand, and I can’t come up with an answer. It just came alive from a hodge-podge of different inspirations, skills and desires. And here it is, flesh and blood. I think the challenge of building something from scratch — to understand every component of a whole — beckoned […]
News Reel
My first instinct is, of course, to hone in on the fisherman aspect of the name. As we explore two aspects of the fisherman beanie, we do it in the context of old rugged fishermen and how they chose their beanies. A fisherman beanie is rough, simple and preferably hand knit All the way back […]
Beanies and Style
The war in Ukraine shook me out of my stride and reminded me again that the world we’re all building is fickle. I am reminded that the peaceful Norwegian countryside I grew up in came at a cost, and no peace will last unless we hold it up. And that it has been held up […]
Red Hat Culture
The Animals of Farthing Wood. (Say that out loud.) It is a great tale about a bunch of animals that are forced out of their homes because of human building projects (boo humans!). Led by a mellow old badger and a wise old fox, they set out on the adventure of their lives. When this […]
News Reel
It makes a blatant show in our hand knit wares, and that is where it first made it’s way into our language. After the skill of knitting has been learned, and the talent honed, all it takes to craft a great beanie is two knitting needles, yarn, and patience. And the moment you let that […]
Red Hat Culture
It is really that easy to come up with something new. That is the fun of crafting it right at home (though I live in Sweden now) and having raw materials, production and packaging in the same house. Especially since the Limited Editions are made in very low amounts (as opposed to our main collection.) […]
News Reel
If there is one thing you should fear, it’s this.
Beanies and Style
A beanie tested in the Norwegian summer rain The weather in Norway, along with all the other Nordic, coast-long countries is always shifting. A hike might not be in the rain, but you never know if rain will pay a short visit as it passes by (probably on its way to Bergen — but that’s […]
Beanies and Style
A few chill days at Asbjørn’s mountain cabin comes to a close.
Adventure Stories
This article is a look back on 2021, but to get this story right, I have to rewind to something I merely brushed past in our 2020 recap article, but turned out to be pivotal. “This fall, I chose to put many side projects on ice, to let Red Hat Factory get the love it […]
News Reel
“The other side of the mountain however,” he continued with stars in his eyes. “It’s west-facing, you know. One kilometer of straight climbing, and not one rotten section.” Instantly my mind wandered to the western fjord-ridden coast line of Norway. And I saw the dark storms; the hurricane gales bringing along a whipping sea spray, […]
Adventure Stories
Let’s dive deeper into the linguistic roots of the beanie.
Beanies and Style
The sweetest giveaway package we’ve ever been part of. Take a peek here to see the items included.
News Reel
The two first episodes of The Wheel of Time were premiered on Stockholm Film Festival — we went to see them, enjoy, and then explain to our Red Hatters why The Wheel of Time and Red Hat Culture fits like the infamous hand in the glove.
Red Hat Culture
The pom-pom was always natural to us when growing up. But come to think of it, it’s actually super weird and useless. Could it be kinda cool though?
Beanies and Style
The Lord of the Rings is much more than a book. It’s part of a universe that celebrates nature, and if you didn’t know it — the slow progress of handcraft.
Beanies and Style