culturebriefs
9:04in productionCh. 1 · What it is/ 9:04 · ceiling 15 min
Fashion · Society

Fez (hat)

A red hat designed to erase identity became the ultimate symbol of what the state wanted to erase.

The fez was a state-imposed garment. It did one thing well: standardise appearance. It did one thing poorly: survive as a symbol once the state that made it mandatory changed its mind. Its lifespan—from 1827 mandate to 1925 ban—maps a century of top-down reform, not cultural adoption.

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Chapters & takeaways5
  1. 1:01
    What it is

    It is a short, cylindrical, peakless felt hat—red, with a black tassel.

  2. 2:06
    Where it came from

    Its name may point to Fez, Morocco, where the red dye came from berries.

  3. 3:26
    How it was imposed

    Mahmud II mandated it in 1827 and 1829 to replace the turban and unify his subjects.

  4. 4:40
    How it was discarded

    In 1925, Atatürk outlawed it—ending its use in Turkish men's clothing forever.

  5. 5:46
    Where it marched

    It served as military headgear across armies and wars for centuries.

Worth your time?

Yes. Study the whole thing.

4/ 5
What works
  • the fez itself
  • Mahmud II's 1827–1829 decrees
  • Atatürk's 1925 Hat Law
What does not
  • culture/arts
  • culture/literature
  • culture/photography
  • culture/subcultures
Study it if
  • historians of dress
  • students of state formation
  • critics of secular modernisation
Skip it if
  • fashion designers seeking inspiration
  • collectors of vintage accessories
  • fans of ceremonial regalia
The written brief1 min read

What the thing is

A short, cylindrical, peakless felt hat, usually red, with a black tassel.

Where it came from

Its name may refer to Fez in Morocco, where crimson berries were used to dye it.

What it gets right

It replaced the turban to suppress visible markers of religious, regional and occupational identity.

What it gets wrong

It failed as a unifying symbol: it became a marker of Ottoman modernity that was later banned for being too Ottoman.

Why it matters now

It is a literal object lesson in how dress codes serve political centralisation—and how quickly such symbols flip from reformist tool to reactionary relic.

Is it worth your time

Yes—if you care about how clothing enforces unity, erases difference, and becomes a relic of state power.

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