Vintage Silk Top Hat from 1930s
Vintage
In the 1930s and 1940s, men's hats were huge business in the USA and Europe. Every man was a hat owner and wore at least four hats for different seasons and activities. Due to economies of scale, the giants of the hatmaking industry were able to mass-produce while using the very best materials. Boaters were made of sennit straw (now rarely used). Top Hats were made of plush silk (no longer available). Fedoras, Trilbys, Bowlers and Homburgs were made from beaver and rabbit fur felt (still available in limited, expensive quantities). The results were robust, soft, thin, smooth, lightweight and waterproof. Touch one our vintage hats and you'll understand!
Such a concentration on detail and quality demanded many skilled workers to create men's hats. Generations of artisans were engaged for their unique ability to work with silk, leather and felt. They even invented special hatmaking techniques, which are now lost. The owner of a vintage hat, however, can still enjoy the results. By purchasing and taking home a wonderful, stylish vintage hat, you preserve something beautiful and you touch history. A Vintage hat always has a story. It must be relatively to extremely old and from a time or place known to produce hats of very high quality. Definitely pre-1980 and we see many hats that are more than 100 years old. The term Vintage would include a 1940s Dunn & Co Bowler, a 1950s Cavanagh Fedora, a 1970s Stetson Cowboy, a pre-1980 Borsalino Fedora and virtually any silk Topper.
Retro
According to our definition, a Retro hat must be one of the classic 19th and 20th century styles. So it must be a Boater, Bowler, Cowboy, Fedora, Homburg, Newsboy, Panama, Porkpie, Top hat or Trilby. It does not matter when, where or how it was made, as long as the quality is good. If it is a soft hat, such as a Fedora, it should ideally be made of Fur Felt. If it is a rigid hat, such as a Bowler, then it may also be made of Wool Felt. If it is Straw, then it should be Natural Straw or Shantung Straw.
However, most hat factories are in China. They have excellent machinery, vast experience and a large workforce. What they lack are the finest materials. They use predominantly Wool Felt, not Fur Felt. And you can't make a great Fedora, soft Homburg or Top Hat out of Wool Felt. On the other hand, you can make an excellent hard Bowler hat or a stiff Homburg, using Wool Felt and the right machinery. We stock a few such hats.
There are also a few higher quality hats made in China, almost in secret, using Rabbit Felt, under license from the large US and UK brands. Those hats are then shipped back to the UK / US for final finishing and distribution. Stetson, Dorfman Pacific, Christys' and many other brands are known to have made hats in this way. A few of those hats have reached our shelves and are priced accordingly.
Custom Fedora in 100x Beaver Felt
Custom
By definition, a Custom hat has been made for a particular individual, based on their specifications and preferences. It can be any style. It is typically hand made, using the finest materials, traditional tools and techniques.
When you visit our showroom, we can show you several examples of beautiful, custom-made hats, which have been hand made by craftsmen in Sweden, US, Germany, UK, Argentina and Spain. They use the best materials, traditional tools and rare, artisanal skills.