The Fez… just like that!

Factual Friday

By Charlie Elphinstone

Usually I write about categories or brands in the shop, but today it’s a single item—one too interesting not to share: the fez.

Its origins are debated, with links to Greece, Tunisia, Morocco, and Turkey. By the late 1700s, it became a key part of Ottoman culture after Sultan Mahmud II made it official headwear, replacing the turban with what he saw as a more practical option.

Fezzes were traditionally dyed red using cornelian cherry extract, later replaced by synthetic dyes—largely produced in Austria. When Austria annexed Bosnia and Herzegovina in 1908, the Ottoman Empire boycotted these goods in what became known as the “Fez Boycott.”

The fez was banned in Turkey in 1926 and in Egypt in 1958 as a symbol of the past, though it’s still made today for tourists.

In the UK, it’s best known through comedian Tommy Cooper, who adopted it after a wartime mishap in Cairo involving a missing helmet and a quick-thinking swap.

A small hat, but with a surprisingly rich history.