Trying to buy one good summer hat instead of these cheap ones I see everywhere

I've been slowly changing the way I buy clothes this year. No problem whatsoever; I'm just trying to stop buying things that spoil after one season.

Last summer I bought maybe 4 or 5 straw hats because they were cheap and were pretty. Every single one of them spoiled before August. One lost its shape after a small rainfall, one started peeling off from inside, and another one literally cracked when I packed it for travel. I realized I was doing fast fashion even with accessories.

This year I decided I want just ONE good hat.

I started learning more about materials and honestly it surprised me how complicated straw hats are. Some are real natural fibers, some are basically plastic pretending to be straw. The plastic ones look nice the first week but feel sweaty and weird after long wear.

I even checked wholesale sites like Etsy , Amazon and Alibaba just to understand how to source for them. Prices these days are crazy low which confuses me. Some vendors looked legit, others felt questionable. Which made me wonder who is actually paid fairly in that chain. I just closed the tab immediately.

Now I’m looking at smaller makers or secondhand options. Found one vintage hat at a local market and it already survived more sun than my new ones ever did.

It made me rethink sustainability. Maybe the goal is not perfect ethical shopping. Maybe it’s just buying less and respecting the item more.

Anyone else trying to shift from many cheap accessories to one long term piece? What helped you change those habits?