Pakol: the rolled crown of Chitral

The pakol begins as loose, sparsely spun sheep wool, knitted into a shapeless tube and then fulled — beaten, dampened and worked until the stitches nearly disappear into felted wool. Only then is it rolled, over and over, into the deep brim that gives the cap its distinctive crown.

Because the wool is worked by hand and rolled to depth by the maker, pakols vary enormously: in weight, in roll depth, in the natural browns and greys of the fleece. That variation is the point. A summer-light pakol in undyed wool behaves differently from a heavy winter roll, and mountain wearers have strong opinions about which is which.

The one-size-fits-all pakol sold to tourists is almost always wrong for the wearer — too shallow, too tight, or too loose to hold its roll. Made to your head circumference, with the roll and weight you choose, it sits the way it is supposed to: low over the ears, shading the eyes, staying on in the wind.

Our pakols are made by pakol makers in Chitral who full and roll the wool themselves. Give us your measurement and your pick of weight and shade, and the cap is made to you, not to a market stall average.