Hemp Kippahs Guide
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Hemp Kippahs Guide
The heat problem nobody mentions when you buy
Most kippot are sold on how they look. Velvet, suede, leather and exotic skins all photograph beautifully and all do the same thing on a hot day, which is hold heat against the top of your head. If you only wear a kippah for an hour on Shabbat morning, that never becomes a problem. If you wear one from shacharit to bedtime through July and August, it does.
Hemp is the fabric that solves it. The fibre is hollow, so air passes through the weave instead of stopping at it, and it moves moisture off the skin rather than sitting wet against it. It is the same reason hemp and linen have been summer clothing fabrics for several thousand years.
Hemp against linen and cotton
| Fabric | Breathability | Over time | Note |
|---|---|---|---|
| Hemp | Highest of the three | Softens with wear, holds its shape | The most durable natural fibre in normal clothing use |
| Linen | High | Softens, creases readily | Similar feel, slightly less hard-wearing |
| Cotton | Moderate | Softens, then thins | Holds moisture longer than either |
One point of confusion on this site that is worth clearing up. Several of our collections are named Linen Collection, and some product URLs contain the word linen, but the current hemp pieces are hemp. The naming came first and the fabric changed. If you are comparing, read the material line in the spec table rather than the collection name.
What we make in hemp
| Piece | Cut | Size | Colours | Price |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Kippah 770 in hemp | 770, deeper | 165 x 55 mm, 20 g | Beige, black, white | $150 |
| Kippah Modern in hemp | Modern, shallower | 140 x 40 mm, 20 g | Black, beige, white | $120 |
| Hemp Tallit Katan | Garment | S to 4XL | Black | from $290 |
Both kippot are edged in Italian leather. The leather is structural rather than decorative: hemp relaxes as it is worn, and the leather band is what keeps the shape from going soft with it.
All three pieces come from the Israel Yehuda Morgenshtern collaboration and the Designer Tallit Katan Collection, made in mid-2026.
Which cut to take
The 770 is 165 x 55 mm, deeper, and grips better without a clip. The Modern is 140 x 40 mm, flatter, and reads more discreetly in an office or under a hat. If the reason you are buying hemp is all-day summer wear, the 770 is the one, because the thing that makes a kippah stay put is depth. The full comparison is in the 770 Kippahs Guide.
Colour, and how hemp ages
Both cuts come in beige, black and white. Beige is undyed and shows the fibre most honestly. White reads crisp at first and will warm slightly over a season. Black is the safe choice if the piece will be worn daily and you would rather not watch it change.
Hemp does not stay identical to how it arrives. It softens, drapes slightly closer to the head, and the surface texture flattens where your hand touches it. That is the fabric behaving normally, not wearing out.
Care
Hand wash in cold water, no wringing, dry flat and out of direct sun. The reason to keep it out of the sun is the leather trim rather than the hemp: the two dry at different rates and hard sun pulls the leather tighter than the fabric. Never machine wash a leather-trimmed piece.
Is hemp acceptable for a kippah?
Yes. There is no required material for a kippah. Cotton, wool, leather, velvet, suede and synthetics are all in ordinary daily use across communities, and hemp sits in the same category. What Is a Kippah? covers the background.
One point that occasionally comes up: hemp and linen are both plant fibres, so neither raises any shatnez question, which only concerns wool and linen combined.
Where to go next
Shop: Kippah 770, Kippah Modern, all Luxury Kippahs. Read: 770 Kippahs Guide, Denim Kippahs Guide, Tallit Katan Guide.