Ride em cowboy!

[Fedoracentric]

Fedora - is it true that JFK walking bare-headed down Pennsylvania Avenue at his inauguration devastated the hat industry? I grew up three blocks fro the Resistol plant and seem to remember a letter being published from the pres or veep of Resistol to the President basically stating, "WHAT WERE YOU THINKING!"

That is a myth, actually. JFK wore the traditional top hat during most of his inauguration. He took the oath without it though. Still if you Google Kennedy and fedora you'll get all sorts of photos of him in fedoras. He preferred the Cavanaugh 2 inch brim fedora. So, the claim he never wore hats is an urban legend.

In truth, the downfall of the hat industry was already 20 or 30 years in the making before January of 1960. Even in the 1930s hat industry trade publications were bemoaning the falling hat sales statistics. It was right about 1940 or so when some of the medium to large hat makers started to go into bankruptcy and get bought out by the bigger ones. Mallory, for instance, sold out to Stetson early in the 40s. By the 50s several other large makers were going under and by the 60s nearly all of them were closed down but Stetson. By 1970, even Stetson disappeared. The hats that go by the name Stetson today are not made by a Stetson hat company. Stetson sold the naming rights and the hats are made by the Hat Corp of America in Texas. As an actually hat manufacturing concern, Stetson no longer exists. It is only a name brand licensing company now.

So, by JFK's inauguration in 1960, the hat industry was already about finished. The whole "Kennedy killed hats" thing is a total myth.

 

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[Fedoracentric]

BTW, it seemed like, at least for a short while, that the hipsters were buying and wearing the ultra stingy fedoras. Thoughts?

Yes, fedoras have gotten a bit of a renewal these days. Even the company that produces the named Stetson fedoras is going back to some 1940s era styles and putting out some relatively nice factory-made fedoras along with their ever present cowboy hats.

Also, each state has at least one, some states two or three, custom fedora makers, now. They have been doing pretty good business.Companies like Optimo in Chicago, etc., they are making some fine hats at a premium price. (Optimo's fedoras start at $600 and go up!)

So, yeah, guys like Johnny Dep and Pharell Williams, that singer that does the "Happy" song, are helping to bring good men's hats back a bit. It's good to see from my perspective, of course.

 

[Lost&Found]

Fedora,

This discussion about the demise of the hat reminded me of a life long friend who passed a few years ago. His grandfather was a hat manufacturer in lower Manhattan. I used to visit the factory in the late 60's and early 70's. His business picked up when he started making and selling the Big Apple Hat. My friend always boasted that his grandfather invented it. I did a quick search and was surprised to see that the style is still made. BTW his company closed in 1978. The company's name was Liberty Hat.

 

[stefen]

Not all Stetsons were cowboy hats...my dad wore one up until the mid 50's...

Was the customary men's attire in the east and mid-west...