Tokyo Fixed Fifo Cycle X Earflap Cap

What's good for keeping your head warm? A hat. And what about your ears? A hat with ear flaps. And what does it with style? A Fifo Cycle x Tokyo Fixed Earflap cap, that's what.

The 'x' here denotes a collaboration between London manufacturer and importer of bespoke bicycles and clothing, Tokyo Fixed, and Brooklyn's Fifo Cycle, who, as far as I can make out, hand-make nice retro-inspired hats in the coolest borough of one of the world's coolest metropolises. As such, it's typical of the sort of products that Tokyo Fixed take on: small-run, artisan clothes from hip designers.

The based on Fifo's Pegasus hat, which is distinctive, well-made and stylish. It's clearly been crafted with a bit of love and attention, and it does its job well. The outer material is waxed cotton, water resistant and wind proof; the inner, meanwhile, is softer, stripy cotton. Or is it? Turn the cap inside out, and it works equally well the other way round. The earflaps have three positions: by looping the longer side round under the chin, it affixes to a velcro pad on the other; secondly, they can dangle, pendant like a basset hound's ears; finally, you can attach them above the head, Russian bear-trapper style.

You may be able to tell, from the artful disclosure of my Russian bear-trapper fantasies, that I quite enjoyed wearing this hat. Initially it seemed less appealing than a knitted hat, but it proved itself when I got caught in a winter shower, and has rarely left my head since. It's warm, waterproof enough for extended rain, and has kept head and ears toasty, even in the first proper cold snap of the year. The flaps, when secured, don't block out too much noise (important in traffic, I find) and the peak's decent enough to keep rain and sleet out of the eyes, and protection against low sun, too.

It costs a few clams, sure, but it's a stylish and effective bit of kit.

Verdict

Nice. Warm. Hat.