Bringing a 1990s Borsalino Back to Life!

[TheSocialHat]

Hello, fellow hat friends!

Another wonderful day at the hatmaker’s bench, preserving a little piece of hatmaking history! Today’s project was resizing a beautiful 1990s Borsalino from the historic Batsakes Hat Shop in Cincinnati, Ohio, established in 1907, for one of Gus’s longtime customers. The hat was originally a size 56 cm (US 7), and I carefully reblocked and resized it to approximately 59 cm (US 7⅜), taking into consideration that vintage Borsalinos often run a little small.
There’s something incredibly satisfying about giving a fine vintage hat a new lease on life, especially one with such a wonderful history. And here’s where things get exciting!
Thanks to the generosity of Gus and Mr. Miller at Batsakes Hat Shop, I now have over 100 vintage Borsalino hats from the 1980s and 1990s, primarily in small and medium sizes.
Rather than allowing these beautiful Italian made hats to sit forgotten, I plan to bring them back into circulation, one hat at a time! For anyone interested, I’ll be offering these vintage Borsalinos locally here in the Raleigh, North Carolina area, resizing and fitting them individually whenever possible.
For me, hatmaking isn’t simply about creating something new. It’s also about preserving craftsmanship, honoring the past, and ensuring these wonderful hats continue to be worn and appreciated for generations to come.
A little history, a little craftsmanship, and a whole lot of passion for hats!
After all, Hat People Always Shine!

 

[Daniele Tanto]

Hello there,
having a significant number of Borsalino hats and being well-acquainted with their characteristics, I have two key questions regarding your restoration process. First, where did you source the felt used to enlarge the hat by three sizes? Second, Borsalino hats have a distinct "imprint" [crease/shape memory] that is very difficult to remove—how did you manage that? I would love to see both the original hat and the restored version. Thank you.

 

[TheSocialHat]

Hello there,
having a significant number of Borsalino hats and being well-acquainted with their characteristics, I have two key questions regarding your restoration process. First, where did you source the felt used to enlarge the hat by three sizes? Second, Borsalino hats have a distinct "imprint" [crease/shape memory] that is very difficult to remove—how did you manage that? I would love to see both the original hat and the restored version. Thank you.

Hi Daniele,

Thank you so much for your thoughtful comments and questions! I truly appreciate your interest.
This is actually the third Borsalino I’ve restored and resized in this manner.
Interestingly, this particular hat had a sizing discrepancy from the factory. The internal factory codes indicated a size 55 cm, while the leather sweatband was marked 56 cm.
Naturally, when increasing a hat by three sizes, certain aspects of the original shape have to be modified. The finished hat isn’t an identical reproduction of its original form, but it’s close enough to preserve much of its original character, and most importantly, the customer is very happy with the result!
As you can see in the before-and-after photos I’ve uploaded, the transformation is quite remarkable.
I’m always grateful for the opportunity to exchange knowledge and experiences with fellow hat enthusiasts, especially those who appreciate vintage Borsalinos as much as I do.
Out of curiosity, how many Borsalino hats do you own? I’d love to hear more about your collection!
Thank you again for your wonderful questions!

Best regards,

Pablo