Current and future state of Hattery

[oak1971]

Is the current rekindling of interest in headwear a passing fancy of nostalgia or a genuine shift in cultural norms? Will it last long enough to support an industry or will it settle into a niche category?

I have noticed a lot of interest in older things as I get older. Classic cars, watches, tools and machinery and clothing (hats included). The saying "they don't make them like they used to" Seems to be true in many cases. Overbuilt and handmade items using quality materials are of specific interest to me. I became tired of junk. I was not around in the "good old days", but I have been around long enough to notice and appreciate quality when I see it. Generally I hope generational nostalgia or a fickle trend is not behind the resurgence of Hat wearers or others fueling the interest in quality goods. What say you?

 

[moontheloon]

I don't think there are enough regular hat wearers to support an industry the way it once was supported ... simply because back when it was strongly supported wearing hats was as common as wearing shoes

but so was say ... wearing a tie

if you look at a picture of ... say old yankee stadium in the 40s or 50s ... all you see are ties, fedoras, trench coats and news papers

look at a modern picture and you see baseball caps, jerseys, and cell phones

the vintage collecting thing for me is a bit of nostalgia ....a bit of "they don't make 'em like they used to"

being a vintage drum collector also there is an aging to the wood that happens that you just don't get from modern production

much like the old aged felts

there is also something about the way the drums were made back then by Gretsch, Ludwig, Slingerland, etc... that just cannot be duplicated today do to cost of manufacturing

those old hats were made differently ... and the only way you are getting anything close today is to go to a guy like Art Fawcett or John Penman etc ... custom hatters who use the old traditional process

but to answer your question ... the supply and demand factor is just not there in the hat industry to support it ... at least not enough to demand the quality that once existed

people want cheap cloth trilby hats they can pick up at TJMaxx for $9.99 ... not a hat that they can pass down to their grandchildren

and that to me is a shame

 

[Bob Roberts]

The growing interest is probably a combination of many different factors. "All of the above" and maybe "none of the above." If it grows and blossoms across multigenerational groups, its anyone's guess. As to if it's perceived growth will be enough to "sustain" an industry, we will have to wait and see... In other words, I haven't a clue.

 

[stratcat]

I wouldn't imagine that it will become anything more than the cottage industry it is now.
I recently visited the hat museum in Stockport where almost all the UKs felt hats were made, back in the day. They were making millions of them every week, exported all over the world. I doubt it'll ever return to those sorts of levels again.

As moon has said, most folk are at the whimsy of the fashion industry and don't expect to pay more than a few quid/bucks for anything. Look at the cost of shoes, you spend all day on your feet yet most people won't spend more than £30 or £40 on a pair of shoes! (I have no idea what shoes cost in the US) These same people are never going to pay a £100+ that a new fur hat is going to cost them.
Many people wear hats these days, it's just much more diverse - caps, wooly hats, cotton hats like Tilleys and leather hats like Brahmas, are all worn.
I think the less formal type of hat just goes with the less formal way people dress in this day and age.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

What moon says.
D'Aquino hats physical store survives because of tourism, not because Portuguese people is willing to spend 50 euros on a hat. They go for the cheaper ones like 5 or 10 euros. If it gets lost/stolen/ruined, they get another.

 

[JoeyC]

I wouldn't imagine that it will become anything more than the cottage industry it is now.
I recently visited the hat museum in Stockport where almost all the UKs felt hats were made, back in the day. They were making millions of them every week, exported all over the world. I doubt it'll ever return to those sorts of levels again.

As moon has said, most folk are at the whimsy of the fashion industry and don't expect to pay more than a few quid/bucks for anything. Look at the cost of shoes, you spend all day on your feet yet most people won't spend more than £30 or £40 on a pair of shoes! (I have no idea what shoes cost in the US) These same people are never going to pay a £100+ that a new fur hat is going to cost them.
Many people wear hats these days, it's just much more diverse - caps, wooly hats, cotton hats like Tilleys and leather hats like Brahmas, are all worn.
I think the less formal type of hat just goes with the less formal way people dress in this day and age.

I think much of what has been said so far is true. Having been around during the 40's and 50's I would also add that, in part, the decline in hat wearing was due to the affordability of autos after the war. men increasingly spent/spend less time outdoors braving the elements in their daily routine, less need for hats. Add to that the rise of moronic "Fashionistas" telling us what we should and should not wear and what is " Passe". I suppose I, like many of the forum members wear hats for several reasons, I've worn them most of my adult life, they provide needed protection, I still consider them stylish and I desire quality as I do in all of my apparel. However, we are in the minority and while there are those willing to accommodate us I don't see it burgeoning into the industry it once was. I have more hats than I need but, I try to support when I can, young hat makers starting out because there will always be, hopefully, a segment of hat wearers, small as it might be, requiring their talent.

Regards,
Joe

 

[oak1971]

Thanks for the replies. I tend to agree with much of what has been said, but I'm hoping for a renaissance still.

 

[tropicalbob]

Most of the above is true, but whenever I think about this question I remember two things: first, Western culture is all about constant change. Until the mid-eighties baseball hats were mainly worn by kids, and, like everything else, they'll run their course, if they haven't already; second, hats are functional and the last fifty years or so have been a huge exception. Who know? My guess is that some type of fedora hat will again become common: they probably won't be exactly like those of the past, but fairly close because the design is pretty basic.

 

[Bob Roberts]

People are frequently wearing athletic "sports" wear and gym type "fashion" for ultra casual day and/or evening street wear. Its so very popular (all across the board) in today's styles of clothes. Is anybody going to wear traditional fur felt fedoras or classic straws with sneakers, sweats and warm up jackets...? I hope not. Unfortunatly hats (our type of hats) will never be anywhere close to becoming "mainstream" for this very reason.

 

[oak1971]

People wear Pajamas to work. Sigh.

 

[moehawk]

I think that if there were still big name competing brands, hat culture would most likely be more mainstream as these companies would be running ad campaigns, product placement, etc. in order to keep their names tops on our minds when we went clothes shopping. Now, with most of the old brands now just licensed names all owned by a few entities, why spend the money promoting products when folks that want hats can just be forced to pick from their mediocre offerings?
Bummer is, most folks now wouldn't know the difference between a woolie and a fine fur felt to save their lives.

 

[Historyteach24]

People are frequently wearing athletic "sports" wear and gym type "fashion" for ultra casual day and/or evening street wear. Its so very popular (all across the board) in today's styles of clothes. Is anybody going to wear traditional fur felt fedoras or classic straws with sneakers, sweats and warm up jackets...? I hope not. Unfortunatly hats (our type of hats) will never be anywhere close to becoming "mainstream" for this very reason.

I wear fedoras with hoodies and my coaching pants when driving to ball practice. Fedoras and hoodies look good

 

[Bob Roberts]

I wear fedoras with hoodies and my coaching pants when driving to ball practice. Fedoras and hoodies look good

If u dig it wear it. I wear a shorty brim fur felt porkpie w tee shirt n cargo shorts and Cons (Chuck Taylors.) But stop short at wearing with athletic wear. More of a "grunge" look rather than a "jock" look.

Sent from my SM-N900V using Tapatalk

 

[stratcat]

Bummer is, most folks now wouldn't know the difference between a woolie and a fine fur felt to save their lives.

True, but, on my recent museum visit the tour guide passed around a wool, a fur and a beaver fur without telling them which was which. She then asked people which they preferred. Every single person on the tour, including the children under ten years old said the wool felt was the worse feeling and the beaver the best.
So unless you can make a direct comparison like that then you'd have no idea as to the comparative quality.

I wonder if/when the current kids get older and rebel from looking like their parents/grandparents generation and stop wearing sportswear everywhere, they may start to wear smarter clothing and who knows, broad brimmed hats (as opposed to caps and wooly hats) might make a comeback.
I'm not sure it'll be in my lifetime though.

 

[Frunobulax]

I think the headware industry, like so many others, is subject to the Balkanization of the market. This can be a good thing. Due to modern communication and logistics advances, we can now access things we could never previously access, and coalesce groups who could never coalesce. Marketeers - smart ones - know this. From their perspective, they've never had so many tools with which to reach the masses. Or, in this case, specialized slices of the masses. We see this in music, too, where the individual artist can directly reach out and touch their individual fans.

Will there ever be a day, such as in the past, where brimmed hats are commonplace and ubiquitous? I highly doubt it. But can the makers of fine hats (or any other marketed product) more easily find their customers? Most undoubtedly. And the market can coalesce itself. This Lounge, for instance, has allowed a market to develop and grow over time for high quality hats and other vintage items. One of the founders is now a Hatco bigwig. Would open crown Stetsons be available without the input of an organized market? Hatco saw the market and responded. Similarly, this group has helped others. Art Fawcett, Mike Penman, etc. cater to this market. You no longer have to have a brick and mortar store and wait for people to come in. Your market is the world, and you can reach them with relative ease these days.

 

[Speakeasy]

I doubt hats will make a comeback in a big way unless people start dressing better overall. Even a smart flat cap goes better with tweed and leather than denim and sneakers.

Echoing what Stratcat posted above, it's really a matter of exposure. Most people have no idea what a well-made suit, hat, shirt, etc actually feels like to wear, or how long it can last them.

 

[Historyteach24]

True, but, on my recent museum visit the tour guide passed around a wool, a fur and a beaver fur without telling them which was which. She then asked people which they preferred. Every single person on the tour, including the children under ten years old said the wool felt was the worse feeling and the beaver the best.
So unless you can make a direct comparison like that then you'd have no idea as to the comparative quality.

I wonder if/when the current kids get older and rebel from looking like their parents/grandparents generation and stop wearing sportswear everywhere, they may start to wear smarter clothing and who knows, broad brimmed hats (as opposed to caps and wooly hats) might make a comeback.
I'm not sure it'll be in my lifetime though.

Younger people are starting to dress much better, I have noticed that young men just entering the workforce, especially teachers, wear ties more often than older teachers

 

[facade]

I say to hell with a hat renaissance. I want to stand out from the mob not blend in. A fedora allows the wearer to make a statement. If everyone is wearing one, the only statement you are making is that you are part of the herd.

Any renaissance would simply be a fashion trend and would not come with any change in the civility and manners of the mob. Nor would the quality of the offerings improve significantly. Quality is not a relevant factor in today's throwaway society.

Also there is no need. Hats made to a standard that no modern manufacturer would ever strive for still exist in abundance.

Therefore I respectfully suggest that, unless you are a hat vendor or have a head the size of a football helmet, there is no benefit to a hat renaissance. Let's just keep them our little secret, mmmkhay?

 

[Speakeasy]

I say to hell with a hat renaissance. I want to stand out from the mob not blend in. A fedora allows the wearer to make a statement. If everyone is wearing one, the only statement you are making is that you are part of the herd.

Absolutely agree. A lack of hat-wearing in the public at large does not deter me from wearing my flat caps (and soon, my first trilby) whenever possible.

 

[Joao Encarnado]

I say to hell with a hat renaissance. I want to stand out from the mob not blend in. A fedora allows the wearer to make a statement.

Not only fedoras.