HAT’S ALL, FOLKS
LEGENDARY DELCO MUMMERS DESIGNER SET TO MARKET JASON KELCE PARADE HAT
The “Official” Championship Hat will retail for $325 and be an exact replica of the Mummers headpiece that Kelce wore on his parade jaunt down Broad Street.
TINICUM » Die-hard Eagles fans who’d like to get their hands on one of those spectacular Mummers hats worn by center Jason Kelce during the Birds Super Bowl Parade and victory celebration are in luck.
And you’ll have a Delaware County designer to thank for it.
Guests and members of the Delaware County Press Club were treated to an unexpected surprise at their April luncheon, held at the Lazaretto Ballroom last week. In addition to guest speaker Vince Papale, former Philadelphia Eagles wide receiver of “Invincible” fame, the other special guest was legendary local costume maker James May, of Ridley Township.
May unveiled, for the very first time, the “Official” 2018 Championship Hat and the “Fan Favorite” 2018 Championship Hat, both handmade to replicate the nowfamous Mummers hat that Philadelphia Eagles center Jason Kelce put in the international spotlight by wearing it at the 2018 Philadelphia Eagles Super Bowl victory parade. The authentic replica hats will go on sale to the public this week. May created the original Mummers suit that Kelce donned 11 years ago. Now he’s producing replicas for fans.
May, who attended the luncheon with his wife, Betty Lou, said he was encouraged to make the hats for others to enjoy after history intervened and the hat that he had designed over a decade ago became a pivotal sym-
bol in the championship victory parade, creating a “moment in time” in the city of Philadelphia. Now, two months later, the “2018 Championship Hat” is ready for fans to wear and display with pride. All May’s hats will be made by hand in Ridley Township.
The “Official” Championship Hat will retail for $325 and be an exact replica of the Mummers headpiece that Kelce wore on his parade jaunt down Broad Street. May, who created that Mummers hat 11 years ago for the Avalon String Band, will recreate the interior chin strap, the braiding, the sequins, and all the identical embellishments and articulate details with stitch-by-stitch craftsmanship. The “Official” version is for a collector’s display in home, office, or for gift-giving. Only a limited amount will be made. It is available in large and extralarge sizes.
The “Fan Favorite” version of the 2018 Championship Hat, which will retail for $125, is a more user-friendly, transportable version of the “Official” version, and made with different material. The hat is scaled down and less high, according to May, “so that fans can wear these hats to games without blocking the vision of the fans sitting behind them.” The unique “Fan Favorite” Championship Hat is a symbol of team pride similar to the Green Bay Packer’s “Cheese Head” hat. A fan can wear the hat as a visual sign of supporting the underdog at parties, games and other events.
Both the Official Championship Hat and the Fan Favorite Championship Hat will come with labels of authenticity that read “Official 2018 Championship Hat Created by James May, Made in the U.S.A.”
“I don’t classify anything I make as a really big deal,” the costume-maker remarked with a smile. He said the costume became famous, only through a fluke.
“My wife Betty Lou laughed and said that all those gorgeous wedding gowns that I created through the years for all those beautiful brides and it’s a guy riding a bike up Broad Street that gets all the attention. It caused an explosion!”
May, 76, retired two years ago, after 52 years in the costume/ bridal gown business. During the height of his career, the awardwinning talented tailor/designer custom-made about 30 original bridal gowns a month. He said that, as a man, he was successful designing prom, formal and wedding gowns for women because “a man knows what he wants a woman to look like.”
May said that he designed beautiful gowns and custom suits for Pat Ciarrocchi, Ukee Washington, and a host of other area newscasters. He’s also designed costumes for casinos, Franklin Mint and Disney’s “Beauty and the Beast” on Broadway.
“I think that I’ve done gowns for almost every Italian wedding in Philadelphia,” May said, chuckling at the memory. “I made white-white gowns with long, long trains. I’ve always adhered to traditional styles, but I’ve adjusted and evolved through the years as styles changed.”
As May began using his talent for Mummers costumes, his workload increased to outfitting at least 10 Mummers brigades each year. His costumes could be found in one-third of all the Mummers parades that ever went up Broad Street.
“One brigade would mean creating eight different costumes in about 80 different sizes,” May stated. “Working all those years creating women’s dresses helped me a lot when I began creating Mummers costumes. I was used to working with sequins, feathers, ruffles and these types of materials.”
When asked where he got his talent and inspiration, May, who has been sewing since age 9, said, “I suppose I was a child prodigy who was blessed with these talents. I sewed and created when I was in high school. I made Betty Lou’s prom and wedding gowns. I would fall asleep at night sewing and my mother would finish my pieces. I found out years later that she would rip them out and redo them if she saw mistakes because she wanted me to have things perfectly made for the customers.”
Born and raised in Chester, May stayed in the area after graduating from St. Anthony’s Elementary School and St. James High School. Although he had offers to move his successful business in Ridley Township to California, May said that his family was content with the happiness that they found living in Delaware County. During his years in business, his wife handled secretarial duties, as well as pitching in to help with details on the costumes. The couple raised four children. Daughter Maria Gray joined the family business for 28 years, proving to be a talented hat maker. Son Jamie, who had periodically helped in the shop and currently works for a pharmaceutical company, plans to handle the financial and social media aspects of the Championship Hats enterprise. Son Frank is a contractor and son John is a recreation administrator at an area nursing home facility.
After February’s Super Bowl LII win for the Philadelphia Eagles, May said that events happened that made him rethink retirement and bring back his talents.
Here’s how May tells the story: Philadelphia Eagles Player Jason Kelce was getting his hair cut by a stylist in South Philadelphia. Kelce mentioned to the stylist that he wanted to wear a Mummers costume for the victory parade. The stylist told Kelce that her husband is the president of the Avalon String Band and she’d arrange for him to come and pick out a costume. Kelce looked through numerous costumes from past parades and chose one that had been made by May for the string band over a decade ago.
“He said, ‘I like this one,’” May explained. “I think he liked the green Irish theme.”
May said that he’s more than happy to leave retirement for a little bit to come back to creating the hats because they not only celebrate Mummers heritage, but they also exhibit pride in Philadelphia’s new championship status.
“I just can’t sit idle,” May confessed. “You know what they say. When you like what you do, you don’t work, so I guess that’s how I can explain it.”
“I knew he’d never really retire,” Betty Lou chimed in. “He loves the creativity. He is very happy to be doing what he loves to do.”
Fans can find the order form for both hats on a shopping link that will be available before the NFL draft through the “James May Designs” Facebook Page. The page is set to go live today, Monday, April 23. For more information, call 610-532-3430.