Over the years, many objects and garments have been integrated into our society automatically without ever discovering their true functionality. This is the case of the small pocket on jeans, some buttons on shirts or the pompom on wool hats worn in winter.
Despite seeming to be a purely decorative accessory, the pompom was born with a very specific purpose: to offer protection. One of the Western hypotheses places the origin of pompoms in France, in the mid-19th century, specifically in the French navy.
Apparently, in 1958, during a visit by Empress Eugenie, one of the soldiers suffered an accident. A wave hit the ship causing the sailor accompanying the empress to hit his head hard on the roof. She offered him a handkerchief to wipe the blood off her head.
It was then that the navy explained to Eugenia that these types of accidents were very common, due to the narrow and low corridor of the ships and the strong waves. To solve this, she decided to add a red pompom – a nod to the empress’s blood-stained scarf – to the French navy’s caps in order to cushion the blow.
Other theories about the origins date back to the Viking Age, around the 8th century. The image of the Viking god Freyr, which is recognized thanks to the Rällinge statuette, is represented with a pointed helmet or cap surmounted by a pompom.
At that time it is believed that the functionality was merely aesthetic, that is, to the extent that the seams were gathered and hidden in the same point, a more polished finish was achieved. Other theories suggest that its function was even more banal: to make taking off the hat easier.
