Everybody loves a cowboy: wild about Simon and Mary's new Western hats

"Let the fox be full, and the sheep be whole." This is the family quote that hat maker Dean Pozniak attributes to his grandfather, Simon, a Polish immigrant to Johannesburg.

When Dean started his own range of hats a few years ago, he printed his grandfather's favourite quote into the bands. He called his range Simon and Mary after his grandparents.

From the start Dean has collaborated with Joburg-based design dream team Jana Hamman and Koos Groenewald, known as Jana + Koos. Their creative vision has defined his brand's lookbooks, bestowing an almost cultish quality on the brand.

Dean speaks about his latest range.

The idea behind the range?

It's called the future-tense bandits, made for explorers of the new frontier, inspired by retro science fiction and time travel. It's a tip of the hat to famous Western movies, everyday life and tomorrow's possibilities.

What is it about the cowboy aesthetic?

Using our old Western blocks from the 1980s we were able to produce a product inspired by the movies and pop culture of today. Everybody loves a cowboy.

Do you think we're living in the Wild West?

Take a drive in peak-hour traffic in Joburg and you'll certainly get the feel of the Wild West. I don't think the hats will help deal with the hustle and bustle of everyday life, but they'll surely help you look good doing so.

The concept behind your latest photo shoot?

We wanted a ''psy-Western" feel to accompany our large and bold Western silhouettes.

Who are the models?

Joseph Ntahilaja, from modelling and character agency My Friend; performance artist Desire Marea, part of art duo FAKA; and Dionne Chen from Boss Models. They were selected by Jana and Koos who were working closely with Lampost Productions.

If there was a soundtrack for your new range, what would it be?

That's a tough one, but since we started with this project I've had the song Knights of Cydonia by Muse in my head - probably because of the music video.

WATCH the music video for Muse's Knights of Cydonia

Q & A with branding duo Jana + Koos

Jana Hamman and Koos Groenewald are a branding duo making a huge impact on the creative scene.

Dean Pozniak of the millenary label Simon + Mary first asked J + K for a new logo and ended up with a brand identity and lookbook for their debut hat collection.

They've worked with Simon and Mary on creating a brand identity and on their lookbooks ever since.

We find out more.

Why did you leave advertising to start your own company?

We left agency life in 2011 but never fled advertising. Our aim was and still is to be closer to the making and design of the work.

How do you refer to yourselves when awkward family members ask what you do?

We are graphic designers and artists with our own creative studio. We often take on the role of creative/design directors.

How did the Simon and Mary job come about?

Dean Pozniak wanted a logo for his new brand in honour of his late grandfather [the original milliner]. After hearing the story of a brand with such an amazing generational heritage, we knew the story was bigger than a single logo or small range, and the world needed to hear and see more of it.

Initial inspiration behind the brand?

Simon [grandfather] and Mary [Simon's nickname for his wife, Dean's grandmother] is where it all begins. From there the story of the family business, three generations of factory workers and their incredible experience and skill matched with Dean's passion, filled in the narrative.

Story behind the latest campaign?

We started with the idea of ''the wild wild west", reimagined. After a couple of sessions we landed on the future-tense bandits.

Your vision for the brand?

To keep exploring, developing new products and working with different talents to express new campaigns in unique ways.

• This article was originally published in The Times.