Dusty Kirk's hats combine function, fashion and art.

Pretty and Practical

By John Andrews

Hats were practical on the ranch near Newell where Dusty Kirk grew up. A real old school cowboy might even use it to water his horse. The hats that come from Dusty’s Sturgis studio are handmade to suit your lifestyle, but sometimes customers commission one simply to decorate their home or office.

Dusty’s Originals has become known for hats that combine function, fashion and art. It’s a lifelong dream for Dusty, who worked in the medical and fashion industries before returning to South Dakota 12 years ago to care for her aging parents. A love of hats — especially top hats — led Dusty to her current career. “I used to do one-of-a-kind hats for runway shows, and then a friend who worked with Ralph Lauren encouraged me to learn how to make all kinds of hats,” Kirk says. “When I first started doing top hats, I was buying the bases and reworking them, and I didn’t want to depend on anyone else for that, so I learned how to start making them.”

Dusty’s hats are made from a fur felt combination or pure fur — usually beaver, mink or chinchilla — and accentuated with beadwork, custom dye bands or other flourishes. Though her background is West River and she’s developed a hat line called Black Hills 605 to honor the region’s culture, she can create any style. “I had a gentleman from Texas send me photos of two of his favorite hats and told me to mash them together into one,” she says. “I love to chat with my customers and get a feel for what they’re looking for. A lot of people don’t tell me exactly how they want things. They might tell me how they want the crown or the brim, but then they just let me go.”

Dusty’s hats are available at Jewel of the West in Hill City and Just for Looks in Sturgis. Fittings are by appointment at her home studio or online.

Editor’s Note: This story is revised from the July/August 2023 issue of South Dakota Magazine. To order a copy or to subscribe, call (800) 456-5117.