DSTN × SoonNoon
DSTN × SoonNoon
From workbench to runway
For DSTN’s FW26 collection, we created three hats in collaboration with the Stockholm-based fashion brand — three distinct shapes, each finished by hand and deliberately pushed away from anything too pristine. The collection was presented in Stockholm and later in New York, taking the hats from our workbench into the world of DSTN FW26.
The starting point was simple: black, wide-brimmed and unmistakably SoonNoon. From there, each hat developed its own character. Three different silhouettes, brought together by the same worn-in approach.
For Dustin, the vision was about more than the hats themselves.
“I wanted to blend a rock-and-roll edge with subtle Western influences. During my research, SoonNoon immediately stood out. When I reached out, we clicked right away – not just on the design direction, but also as two independent businesses sharing a deep respect for handmade craftsmanship and a similar ethos.”
– Dustin, DSTN
THE SUNDANCE
A wide-brim fedora with a black grosgrain band, leather string wrapped around the crown and a large feather.
THE EARP
A wide-brim cowboy hat, distressed with fire and sanding, with a braided suede band in black and beige.
THE LONESOME
A wide-brim Gus shape with a pencil-rolled brim, finished with a dead-stock black and white woven hat band.
Made to be worn in
Some hats are made to look new. These were made to look like they already have a story. Each hat was heavily distressed by hand using fire and sanding. We worked the surface gradually, burning and wearing down the material until it began to develop the character we were looking for. The distressing was deliberately imperfect. Marks, variation and subtle differences were part of the process – and part of what made each hat its own. For Dustin, getting hands-on with the making was a highlight of the collaboration.
“Sitting down with the SoonNoon team and physically crafting the hats together was an amazing experience. What really blew my mind, though, was the distressing process. To get that perfectly burnt, lived-in finish, we literally set the hats on fire. Seeing that technique in action was definitely the biggest surprise.”
— Dustin, DSTN
The three hats took different paths. While The Sundance and The Earp were heavily distressed, The Lonesome was deliberately left clean. Its height, wide brim and distinctive Gus shape gave it a character of its own. For Dustin, it became one of the defining pieces of the collection.
“It’s bold, over-the-top and a real character piece. Its Gus shape gives it incredible height and brim width. It commands attention and anchors one of my favourite looks in the entire collection.”
— Dustin, DSTN
From Stockholm to New York
The hats were made specifically for DSTN’s FW26 collection, first presented during Stockholm Fashion Week before travelling with the collection to New York Fashion Week. Seeing them worn as part of the full collection gave the hats a different context. On the workbench, you notice the materials, the shaping and the small details. On the runway, you see how they become part of a bigger picture.
Under the runway lights, the wide brims cast shadows over the models’ eyes, bringing the collection’s dark, brooding cowboy aesthetic to life.
“The collaboration added so much to the world-building of DSTN. Without these hats, key looks just wouldn’t have carried the same weight, and the character narrative I envisioned wouldn’t have felt complete.”
— Dustin, DSTN
Beyond the runway, the collaboration brought something else, too: new creative partners and a friendship that grew out of making something together. A good reminder that the best collaborations leave you with more than the finished pieces.