L.A. Milliner-to-the-stars Gladyz Tamez Designed a Hat Inspired by Tequila

Milliner-to-the-stars, Gladys Tamez, unveils the summer’s must-have hat, inspired by the award-winning El Tesoro™ Tequila, crafted in the highlands of Jalisco in her homeland of Mexico | Photo: PR Newswire

‘THE TESORO” HAT is here

El Tesoro de Don Felipe® Tequila and Gladys Tamez Millinery (GTM) have teamed up to release a limited-edition hat inspired by Gladys’ favorite tequila, El Tesoro™. Known as the “treasure of Jalisco” (Tesoro is the Spanish word for treasure), the premium tequila serves as the inspiration for the all-new design crafted by Gladys Tamez, Los Angeles’ “milliner-to-the-stars.” The luxury hat – named “The Tesoro” – is exclusive in design and is equally stylish for hombres y mujeres. Tequila fans and style enthusiast alike can purchase this summer’s must-have fashion statement beginning June 14, 2022.

“The Tesoro” hat is made of 100% straw and sports the signature GTM crease down the center of the crown. The outside is adorned with a fine leather braid inspired by the leather artisans of Mexico and features a hand-engraved, antique-brushed brass agave medallion – a nod to the agave plants that are harvested to make the premium tequila. The inside rim of the hat boasts an in-seam custom ribbon that reads Gladys Tamez for El Tesoro™. Offered in unisex sizes S and M, “The Tesoro” is available for purchase at the Gladys Tamez Millinery studio in Los Angeles as well as online at www.gladystamez.com. The specialty piece is a limited-edition luxury fashion item of just 150 hats and sold for $210 USD.

Born in Texas, raised in Mexico and a proud female Latina entrepreneur, Gladys Tamez is known for creating custom hats for countless Hollywood A-listers in music, movies, fashion, sports and beyond. Gladys Tamez has a reputation for artistry, craftsmanship and style unrivaled by any other hatmaker in the US, delivering impeccable designs that keep her illustrious clients coming back for her custom looks time and again. Widely credited for bringing the western cowboy style hat out of the southern markets and into mainstream, high-fashion circles – her portfolio of work is reflective of stunning and timeless works worthy of global super-stardom.

PHOTO: GladysTamez.com

Sharing those same qualities of artistry, craftsmanship and style, is El Tesoro Tequila, produced at La Alteña Distillery since 1937. Master Distiller Carlos Camarena, along with his sister Jenny Camarena, make El Tesoro using the same time-honored tradition their father and grandfather used, crafting tequila the old-fashioned way – by hand, using the materials of the earth to create a pure expression of agave. “The Tesoro” hat brings to life both artisan’s shared values of quality and craft, honoring traditional wisdom and skill, and creating high art through shared passions: exceptional, premium tequila and luxury millinery. 

“When El Tesoro and I came together to concept a custom hat inspired by their incredible tequila, it was an easy creative process for me from there,” says Gladys Tamez. “I was immediately drawn to the beautiful packaging and presentation of the bottles, and the taste was like no other tequila I have ever tried. To understand how it is made and shared is to understand the soul of Mexico. It is truly an artist’s brand that I am proud to collaborate with and celebrate – an authentic Mexican tequila that makes me extremely proud of my culture and homeland, the place where I was raised and discovered my passion for hat making.”

The intersection between Gladys’ aesthetic sensibilities and the El Tesoro brand world was fertile soil for creativity. Hats are worn regularly by the farmers, or los jimadores, at La Alteña Distillery, a mark of ease and function that inspired Gladys’s timeless design that is built to last, along with the agave plant – the eternal source of life for El Tesoro Tequila that served as the muse for the piece.

Sign Up for Our Newsletter

We won't blow up your inbox. We promise. But we will send an occasional newsletter with must-do Los Angeles events & information.