Meet the Puerto Rican Hatmaker Who Helped Bad Bunny Bring the Jíbaro to the Met
Bad Bunny had all eyes on him when he stepped onto the 2025 Met Gala red carpet on May 5. He was making his first public appearance after announcing his highly anticipated world tour. However, his music wasn’t under the spotlight for once. Instead, the attention focused on the singer’s heartfelt homage to Puerto Rican culture and traditional clothing.
Benito walked the red carpet wearing a brown two-piece set layered over a chocolate-colored shirt. The suit’s silhouette nodded to salsa stars of bygone eras. Meanwhile, accessories such as a rope-inspired belt and a raffia tie referenced his homeland’s country folk and Jíbaro culture. In fact, the centerpiece of the singer’s look was a reimagined version of the pava hat created by De León Headwear.
The Boricua brand behind Bad Bunny’s pava
Helmed by fashion designer Neysha de León, De León Headwear is a small-scale hatmaking brand. De León launched her business after studying and working in New York for over a decade. Today, the Boricua runs the label by herself, designing and handcrafting each piece.
”I was born and raised in San Juan, Puerto Rico. At 19, I moved to NYC to continue my fashion design studies. I lived and worked there for 11 years,” De León tells FIERCE. After years as part of the diaspora and living through the pandemic in New York, she ventured into her creative project. “I finally decided to return to my island and establish my workshop and creative space in Puerto Rico,” she says.
De León first discovered her love for hatmaking during her senior year at the Fashion Institute of Technology in 2014. “After taking courses and learning how to make hats, I fell in love with the process,” she explains. “I’ve always loved working with my hands.”
Following her graduation, De León solely focused on hatmaking. She felt inspired by the creative process and how much she enjoyed millinery. “I haven’t stopped making hats since,” she adds. “The hatmaking process is complex because it requires many materials that are no longer easily available locally. Over the years, I’ve managed to grow my collection of blocks and tools and offer more styles, sizes, and hat designs.”
Designing for the Met
Before collaborating with Bad Bunny for his Met Gala look, De León crafted headwear for the singer’s Vogue Mexico cover. The designer was contacted on the recommendation of a friend who knew hats were her area of expertise. This first project put her on his team’s radar.
For his Met look, De León was directly contacted by Benito’s publicist. “The collaboration was extremely exciting,” she says, recalling the experience. “When I met with his publicist, I was able to see Prada’s design plans for Benito in person.”
After discussing the team’s vision and how De León could bridge her hat design with the overall look, she crafted a pava-inspired hat with Prada fabrics. As the designer told other outlets, the process took about two weeks. The result was a modern iteration of the “pava,” a straw hat traditionally worn by agricultural workers that Benito proudly took to the red carpet.
Beyond Bad Bunny, This Is Boricua Pride
In case you’re unfamiliar with its cultural significance, the pava is closely associated with Puerto Rican history and politics. The hat is often considered a representation of jíbaro culture and Boricua identity. Not to mention that it also serves as the symbol of Puerto Rico’s Popular Democratic Party.
As a Puerto Rican, De León is aware of the struggles and adversities her people have overcome to take Puerto Rico to the forefront of conversations. Bringing such an important symbol of Boricua culture to the global stage was momentous for her. “Puerto Rico is all over the world. The Puerto Rican diaspora is an extremely large community, and so is the love for their island,” she says. “Being able to connect with so many Puerto Ricans from all over the world after working on this project is extremely gratifying.”
Now, De León has her sights set on her professional growth. “My plans are to expand my work resources this year to share more small collections with the public,” she says. “I also plan to continue collaborating on unique projects and expand my creative possibilities as a designer.”
