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Not sure if this has heretofore be posted. It originated in the Wed. May 10th edition of the Guelph Mercury by Greg Merceran and I found it as a link at the MTV HIVE blog. while searching for info on Biltmore hats. Give it a read and post your reactions and ruminations.
Snappy hats gaining popularity!
From the Wed. May 10th edition of the Guelph Mercury by Greg Mercer: Article
With an injection of retro cool by Eric Lynes, the new Kentucky-born owner of the company, the Biltmore name is suddenly becoming known for hip hats that are a throwback to the 1950s and 1960s.
Featuring lower crowns and shorter, "stingy" brims, these hats are the urban antithesis of the old-style fedoras sported by the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Indiana Jones.
"This ain't your daddy's hat," is how Ramona Ostrander, vice-president of marketing and operations for Biltmore, puts it.
Lynes -- an accountant who bought the then-bankrupt Biltmore company last year -- said hat stores in Manhattan, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other big U.S. metropolitan centres are calling Guelph now, asking for his new line of "stingies."
"We've been selling those hats like crazy," Lynes said recently in his friendly Kentuckian drawl.
The classic, old-fashioned fedoras are still the 89-year-old company's bread and butter, but orders for the new styles introduced by Lynes are growing steadily.
Biltmore is almost certainly getting a boost from pop culture.
Popular men's fashion magazines, including GQ, have recently featured some of hip-hop and pro basketball's biggest stars dressed to kill -- and wearing dress hats. And last month, the local company was christened the maker of Canada's hottest hat by the Globe and Mail.
"Quite a few of these (NBA players) actually wear Biltmore hats. But they probably don't know that a black man actually owns Biltmore," Lynes said.
"The hat shops in Philadelphia that we sell to, they tell me Allen Iverson wears Biltmore hats. In Miami, there's a retailer there we sell hats to. They call us for hats for Shaquille O'Neal."
He said men's fashion hit a low with ultra-baggy jeans and jerseys, but now it's showing signs of heading back toward a more formal, tailored look.
Ostrander said the new "stingies" appeal to a younger crowd looking to make a fashion statement with just the right touch of attitude. It doesn't hurt that rapper 50 Cent -- GQ's Man of the Year -- wears them, too.
Biltmore is in discussions with celebrities in the sports and music world about creating a new line of hats for the stars' private labels, Ostrander said.
She wouldn't say who the stars are until the deals are sealed, but said these arrangements could spread Biltmore-made hats across the U.S. through retail chains like Macy's.
Lynes did recently fly to San Francisco for a meeting with Cedric the Entertainer, of Dr. Dolittle 2, Big Momma's House and Be Cool fame, to talk about exclusive deals. He did the same for Steve Harvey, the comedian and actor, Ostrander said.
Entertainers, particularly black ones, are making hats cool again, giving boost to a niche industry that's still blaming John F. Kennedy for triggering a precipitous decline in the sales of men's hats by appearing hatless at his 1961 U.S. presidential inauguration.
"The more these celebrities wear them, the public is going to start catching onto it," Lynes said.
Since an article in the Globe and Mail singing Biltmore's praises appeared last month, people have been calling at least one Toronto retailer, Klaxon Howl, and asking for Biltmore by name, said store co-owner Matt Robinson.
Only a few years ago, sales had dropped off to the point where Robinson's store stopped carrying Biltmore hats.
Now, the Biltmore name is popular again and the store is once again stocking the Guelph-made hats.
"They're back," Robinson said.
Marc Brombal, owner of the Art of Denim on Wyndham Street, started carrying Biltmore hats within the last week because he sees Hollywood stars and singers like Usher popularizing the look.
"I think clothing is starting to go dressier again. You'll see guys start to wear those hats," he said.
Biltmore, which in the 1950s had as many as 450 workers here, is still a name that causes hat retailers across the U.S. to warm immediately over the telephone to callers from Guelph.
Michael Meyer, co-owner of Meyer the Hatter in New Orleans -- the largest hat store in the southern United States -- said one of his most popular sellers is Biltmore's Milan flat-top hat, made of straw with a shorter brim.
"People all across the board are buying it. Young, middle, old -- all over," he said.
Bruce Vales, co-owner of the Village Hat Shop in San Diego, Calif., said the Biltmore name has always implied quality and good style.
"People know Biltmore. They come in and ask for Biltmore," he said. "Once you get into hats, and you're a dude, you discover Biltmore."
Vales said overall sales are up, but he isn't buying suggestions that a Biltmore craze could soon be sweeping the nation.
"People have been saying for 15 years that hats are coming back," he said.
"But business is good; there is an upward trend right now. Are hats coming back like the 1930s? I'm not counting on it."
George Hoag, of Sussman's men's store in Arthur, doesn't think a younger generation of males will be willing to shell out the $100 or more often demanded for a Biltmore hat.
"The younger guys might like it, but I don't know if they'll pay for it," Hoag said.
Still, given the company's new ownership, his store would consider expanding their inventory of Biltmore products, he said.
Guelph comic artist Gregory Gallant, a.k.a. Seth, has been wearing fedoras since the late 1980s.
He said he wouldn't mind finding himself walking down Wyndham Street suddenly surrounded by bandwagon jumpers in their trendy "stingies."
It's about time mainstream culture starting dressing itself up a bit, he said.
"I'd be happy to see the man's hat make a comeback," Seth said. "That would be just fine with me."
Posted May 10, 2006 11:56:00 AM
Snappy hats gaining popularity!
From the Wed. May 10th edition of the Guelph Mercury by Greg Mercer: Article
With an injection of retro cool by Eric Lynes, the new Kentucky-born owner of the company, the Biltmore name is suddenly becoming known for hip hats that are a throwback to the 1950s and 1960s.
Featuring lower crowns and shorter, "stingy" brims, these hats are the urban antithesis of the old-style fedoras sported by the likes of Humphrey Bogart and Indiana Jones.
"This ain't your daddy's hat," is how Ramona Ostrander, vice-president of marketing and operations for Biltmore, puts it.
Lynes -- an accountant who bought the then-bankrupt Biltmore company last year -- said hat stores in Manhattan, Chicago, Los Angeles, San Francisco and other big U.S. metropolitan centres are calling Guelph now, asking for his new line of "stingies."
"We've been selling those hats like crazy," Lynes said recently in his friendly Kentuckian drawl.
The classic, old-fashioned fedoras are still the 89-year-old company's bread and butter, but orders for the new styles introduced by Lynes are growing steadily.
Biltmore is almost certainly getting a boost from pop culture.
Popular men's fashion magazines, including GQ, have recently featured some of hip-hop and pro basketball's biggest stars dressed to kill -- and wearing dress hats. And last month, the local company was christened the maker of Canada's hottest hat by the Globe and Mail.
"Quite a few of these (NBA players) actually wear Biltmore hats. But they probably don't know that a black man actually owns Biltmore," Lynes said.
"The hat shops in Philadelphia that we sell to, they tell me Allen Iverson wears Biltmore hats. In Miami, there's a retailer there we sell hats to. They call us for hats for Shaquille O'Neal."
He said men's fashion hit a low with ultra-baggy jeans and jerseys, but now it's showing signs of heading back toward a more formal, tailored look.
Ostrander said the new "stingies" appeal to a younger crowd looking to make a fashion statement with just the right touch of attitude. It doesn't hurt that rapper 50 Cent -- GQ's Man of the Year -- wears them, too.
Biltmore is in discussions with celebrities in the sports and music world about creating a new line of hats for the stars' private labels, Ostrander said.
She wouldn't say who the stars are until the deals are sealed, but said these arrangements could spread Biltmore-made hats across the U.S. through retail chains like Macy's.
Lynes did recently fly to San Francisco for a meeting with Cedric the Entertainer, of Dr. Dolittle 2, Big Momma's House and Be Cool fame, to talk about exclusive deals. He did the same for Steve Harvey, the comedian and actor, Ostrander said.
Entertainers, particularly black ones, are making hats cool again, giving boost to a niche industry that's still blaming John F. Kennedy for triggering a precipitous decline in the sales of men's hats by appearing hatless at his 1961 U.S. presidential inauguration.
"The more these celebrities wear them, the public is going to start catching onto it," Lynes said.
Since an article in the Globe and Mail singing Biltmore's praises appeared last month, people have been calling at least one Toronto retailer, Klaxon Howl, and asking for Biltmore by name, said store co-owner Matt Robinson.
Only a few years ago, sales had dropped off to the point where Robinson's store stopped carrying Biltmore hats.
Now, the Biltmore name is popular again and the store is once again stocking the Guelph-made hats.
"They're back," Robinson said.
Marc Brombal, owner of the Art of Denim on Wyndham Street, started carrying Biltmore hats within the last week because he sees Hollywood stars and singers like Usher popularizing the look.
"I think clothing is starting to go dressier again. You'll see guys start to wear those hats," he said.
Biltmore, which in the 1950s had as many as 450 workers here, is still a name that causes hat retailers across the U.S. to warm immediately over the telephone to callers from Guelph.
Michael Meyer, co-owner of Meyer the Hatter in New Orleans -- the largest hat store in the southern United States -- said one of his most popular sellers is Biltmore's Milan flat-top hat, made of straw with a shorter brim.
"People all across the board are buying it. Young, middle, old -- all over," he said.
Bruce Vales, co-owner of the Village Hat Shop in San Diego, Calif., said the Biltmore name has always implied quality and good style.
"People know Biltmore. They come in and ask for Biltmore," he said. "Once you get into hats, and you're a dude, you discover Biltmore."
Vales said overall sales are up, but he isn't buying suggestions that a Biltmore craze could soon be sweeping the nation.
"People have been saying for 15 years that hats are coming back," he said.
"But business is good; there is an upward trend right now. Are hats coming back like the 1930s? I'm not counting on it."
George Hoag, of Sussman's men's store in Arthur, doesn't think a younger generation of males will be willing to shell out the $100 or more often demanded for a Biltmore hat.
"The younger guys might like it, but I don't know if they'll pay for it," Hoag said.
Still, given the company's new ownership, his store would consider expanding their inventory of Biltmore products, he said.
Guelph comic artist Gregory Gallant, a.k.a. Seth, has been wearing fedoras since the late 1980s.
He said he wouldn't mind finding himself walking down Wyndham Street suddenly surrounded by bandwagon jumpers in their trendy "stingies."
It's about time mainstream culture starting dressing itself up a bit, he said.
"I'd be happy to see the man's hat make a comeback," Seth said. "That would be just fine with me."
Posted May 10, 2006 11:56:00 AM
-- have some of the wider-brim vintage get the "remodeling" treatment?
