Hats in Europe were the fashion trend that drove the North American Fur trade. By the end of the sixteenth century the shape and style of hat that a person wore showed the world what his profession was and the size and quality of the felt displayed his wealth. Hats became massive in size and every man of society wore one.

Hat makers had found out that the soft fur under the guard hairs had hooks and would knit together better than other furs did. This made a stronger and more durable felt that would allow the Hatmaker's to build hats with larger and more extravagant brims.

As the demand for hats grew and they got larger the demand for beavers grew. They soon got trapped out in North Western Europe and created an even larger demand for beaver pelts. Sailors that came back from the New World soon learned that they could make large profits by trading trinkets and metal ware to the local Indians and so started the North American Fur trade.

Other furs besides the beaver were traded for as well but the beaver was the fur that the traders wanted the most.