Hats Off To Natasha Ruiz: Buellton Pyro Artist Blazes New Trail with Mobile Hat Business
SOLVANG, Calif.—Natasha Ruiz calls herself the “Tattoo Artist for Hats”
She is the owner of Flame Kissed— a full-service mobile hat bar.
She left the world of law and accounting in 2023 to blaze a new trail, quite literally.
Each hat is carefully treated with heat to create singed edges, smoky gradients, and charred textures.
The result? a one-of-a-kind piece that reflects each client’s personality.
“Every hat tells a story. Every hat is done differently. You can go very fine with the burning, or you can go very thick and hot with the burning. It gives different effects. And also we torch it. We distress the hats. There's a lot of fun things that we can do,” said the pyro artist and milliner,” said Ruiz.
The majority of hats are made from wool.
“So leather requires a lot more energy and lot more heat to actually get a deep burn than the felt does. I burn very hot on felts, so I can I can go faster. I can doodle faster.” said Ruiz.
Many of the hats showcase the beauty of the Central Coast.
“So wildflowers definitely by far, anything that grows in California—a lot of people are very crazy about the local wildlife here. So, flowers, hummingbirds, butterflies, dragonflies. Poppies,” said Ruiz.
The customization is what makes it special.
“When I talk to people, I'll hear a story coming through. Tattoos often give it away. That's where I usually start. If someone has a little tattoo here or there, I'll be like, hey, do you want that on there [the hat]? What is your connection with, let's say, a butterfly or something? And then we start a story on the hat,” said Ruiz.
Ruiz’s hat tells a story of resilience and forging a new path.
“This is actually my grounding hat, as I'd like to call it. It's got the North Star, as in finding my own North. I went through a lot of hard times. A nasty divorce to add on top. And that North Star is always been one thing. It's like you have to find your own path in life,” said Ruiz.
Ruiz is currently working out of her home in Buellton, but she will be opening up a store front called Flame Kissed Atelier on Grand Avenue in Los Olivos in May.
