Stetson Licensed to Dorfman Pacific

[Brad Bowers]

Sounds like a late April Fool's joke, but unfortunately, it's not.

This article was in the latest Hat Life newsletter this morning.
DORFMAN PACIFIC SIGNS LICENSING DEAL WITH STETSON

It's obviously a sign of the current economic situation, but I can't quite figure out what's really going on. I've got my suspicions, though, and they're not good.

The big question is, what happens to Garland? Perhaps Dorfman is just providing additional manufacturing or marketing capacity, but the tone of the article suggests otherwise.

Maybe I'm reading too much between the lines, but think about what happened to the American hatting industry 1970-1972.

Brad

 

[besdor]

Dorfman Pacific will only have the license to distribute and manufacture Stetson cut and sewn items. This means caps and cloth hats. Nothing to do with felt at this time. What it will mean in the future is another thing. Right now the new owners of Hatco are happy with the situation in Garland. What will be next year is another story.
The decision to change distributors of the cut and sew has nothing to do with Hatco but John B Stetson licesing here in New York. Its a seperate division .



Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[Duper]

Thanks for your insight Besdor. I'm feeling a little bit better.

 

[fluteplayer07]

Glad you made the clarification. But I still smell some bad juju-magumbo in town...

 

[Brad Bowers]

Dorfman Pacific will only have the license to distribute and manufacture Stetson cut and sewn items. This means caps and cloth hats. Nothing to do with felt at this time. What it will mean in the future is another thing. Right now the new owners of Hatco are happy with the situation in Garland. What will be next year is another story.
The decision to change distributors of the cut and sew has nothing to do with Hatco but John B Stetson licesing here in New York. Its a seperate division .



Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

Makes sense, Steven, I forgot about the other division.

A couple of things I noticed in the article make me wonder if something's afoot. They did mention dress and western offerings, which I took to mean felts and straws. Thye also mentioned all the other "Stetson licenses," which I took to mean Resistol, Dobbs, Knox, etc. Maybe it doesn't mean that, though.

There was also this quote from Douglas Highsmith, President and CEO of Dorfman Pacific:

"But for an American hat manufacturer, nothing could be more viscerally thrilling, or a greater cause for pride, than to take responsibility for Stetson—one of, quite possibly the most authentic and legendary of all American brands. We expect that this enormously prestigious brand will become one of our largest brands."

Perhaps he just misspoke, but "take responsibility for Stetson" sounds like a deeper connection.

I wouldn't think they'd get rid of Hatco and Garland, but in today's world, you just never know.

Thanks, Steven.

Brad

 

[RBH]

Wow.. just when it seemed Stetson was listening to us.......

 

[besdor]

The bottom line is John B wants his name out there. Hatco couldnt do it as well as Dorfman can .They have many more salesman and have their own resources in China and Sri Lanka. I only hope that they dont put the name on cheap junk but we will see what happens. The caps will be avaialable starting in July for next season .



Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

 

[tonyb]

... I only hope that they dont put the name on cheap junk ...



Steven
www.bencrafthats.com

Not that they've ever done that before, eh?

All sarcasm aside, I, too, hope they don't further trash the name by affixing it to junk garments. But I suspect our fears will be realized.

But on the other hand, Dorfman acquired Milano, which is a better than average brand. That assessment is based on a limited exposure to the product, but what I have seen of it is a cut or two above the run of modern factory made hats.

 

[Fletch]

The real question is, is the industry not too far gone to take advantage of a new wave of interest when it comes along - or must it continue operating on assumptions that may be 10, 20, even 30 years old?

For one thing, how many old-line garmento-based firms would go broke before they cast their lot with some savvy and informed e-commerce?

 

[Mr E Train]

Stetson: Coming to a Hot Topic near you.

 

[tonyb]

The real question is, is the industry not too far gone to take advantage of a new wave of interest when it comes along - or must it continue operating on assumptions that may be 10, 20, even 30 years old?

For one thing, how many old-line garmento-based firms would go broke before they cast their lot with some savvy and informed e-commerce?

The industry as we once knew it is indeed too far gone -- as in shut down, boarded up, the equipment sold for scrap.

I suppose the domestic industry, what's left of it, could ramp up to meet that hypothetical new wave of interest. And I can imagine new players getting into the business. But I can't think of any reason to believe that such an increased demand wouldn't as likely be met by offshore production, whatever the nationality of the proprietors.

Perhaps I'm missing your point, Fletch. E-commerce is a modern reality, plain and simple. Doing just about any licit business these days without an online presence is akin to doing without a telephone number and a mailing address. Some highly specialized businesses (including some hatter's supply firms) can still live without it, and some brick-and-mortar specialty retailers apparently see little advantage in it, but I can't imagine selling finished garments without a website. I mean, it costs so darned little to set one up and maintain it that even a Luddite such as myself, who was dragged kicking and screaming into the digital age something like 15 years ago, can see that it's in his best interest to go online. Indeed, what I and many others do would be a whole lot less feasible (darned near impossible, really) without the 'net.

Or, as our friend down in Southern Oregon once put it, you either get aboard that train or you get run over by it.

 

[The Good]

I don't see how this is good news, but one thing I'd like to say, is that at least we can thank the whole western/cowboy culture for keeping the hat business alive. If you think about it, that's one of the strengths that old-time hat companies like Stetson still have today. It's also one of things keeping it alive, financially.

 

[tonyb]

I don't see how this is good news, but one thing I'd like to say, is that at least we can thank the whole western/cowboy culture for keeping the hat business alive. If you think about it, that's one of the strengths that old-time hat companies like Stetson still have today. It's also one of things keeping it alive, financially.

True, dat. The market for Westerns ebbs and flows, but it never dried up to the point it almost disappeared, the way it did for "city" hats.

 

[The Good]

True, dat. The market for Westerns ebbs and flows, but it never dried up to the point it almost disappeared, the way it did for "city" hats.

That's exactly my point, Tony. We've still got the country folks that appreciate these hats for not just the style or tradition element, but the practicalities that they offer for work in the outdoors (such as what actual cowboys do), and sun protection in general. I know that many people living in the countryside (Midwest and Southwest United States I'm talking about here, maybe even the South) do wear baseball caps, but a population of brimmed hat wearers (again, most likely often western cowboy hats) is just about as many as them (and often these two groups wear both interchangeably). In the cities of the U.S., it seems that hat wearing, apart from mostly baseball caps, has become largely forgotten, although a number of teenagers and young adults are recently starting to pick up on it more. However, this alone won't keep the companies alive. So, basically, for a historic company like Stetson, or Resistol (another famous brand among western-wear circles, my grandfather actually owns a straw one), people from the country, particularly the Midwest and Southwest, are their strongest market right now.

I think that these historic companies can survive as it is, even if mainly off of western-wear. Fedoras have unfortunately faded into something of obscurity for the most part, particularly among city people, but the cowboy hat (or western hat, whatever your preference may be) is still going strong, to an extent, especially in the regions mentioned above.

 

[tonyb]

I wouldn't dispute any of that, JB. But if I were to hazard a guess, it would be that the bulk of the people around here (on the wet side of the Cascade Mountains) who wear cowboy hats wouldn't know which end of the horse to feed.

That Western look is, for most who adopt it, a fashion statement. It's no putdown to say that, either. I wear cowboy boots most days, and it's been decades since I've been astride a horse. I just like the way those boots look.

It's a different story over in Eastern Washington, where there is a real ranching industry (I once worked in it). But even over there, the cowboy regalia is seen as mostly affectation. You certainly don't need pointy-toed boots and hats with four-inch brims to perform ranch work. For that matter, you rarely have much use for a horse.

 

[Ephraim Tutt]

It's the country market, here and in the USA, that's kept Akubra prospering and still in the hands of the family that founded it back in the 1870's. There's always need for a working hat there in the bush - and Stetson and Akubra meet that need better than most.

 

[HATCO]

There will be a follow up to that unfortunate press release. As Besdor said they will sell cut and sewn in the US.

 

[Brad Bowers]

And here is the official correction, courtesy of Hat Life:

STETSON LICENSE WITH DORFMAN PACIFIC CORRECTION
While we try to bring you the most up-to-date headwear news - once in a while wires get crossed. In our last Newsletter of April 14 we wrote a story about the new license agreement between Dorfrnan Pacific and Stetson. The article caused some confusion about exactly what type of hats will be made by Dorfman for Stetson.

So, in the name of accuracy (and to keep everyone happy) we are re-stating the facts about this new licensing agreement.

“While Stetson is very excited to announce a new licensing agreement with Dorfman Pacific, I would like to make it unequivocally clear that this new license is strictly limited to cut and sewn products (dress cloth caps and hats, outdoor and golf headwear for men, as well as the children's headwear category). Hatco is, and will remain, the Stetson licensee for all felted and straw headwear, both Western and Dress in North America," said Pamela Fields, CEO of Stetson Worldwide. "We are fortunate to be aligned with two quality partners and are convinced of a bright future for the exponential growth of Stetson headwear.”

Stetson's new license agreement with Dorfrnan Pacific has no effect on the existing license agreement between Stetson and RHE Hatco, Inc. of Garland, Texas (Hatco). Under its Stetson license agreement, Hatco continues to have the exclusive right to manufacture and distribute felt and straw hats, including Western and dress hats, in the US, Canada, and Mexico.

Brad

 

[fluteplayer07]

Whew.

 

[GClark]

I wouldn't dispute any of that, JB. But if I were to hazard a guess, it would be that the bulk of the people around here (on the wet side of the Cascade Mountains) who wear cowboy hats wouldn't know which end of the horse to feed.

That Western look is, for most who adopt it, a fashion statement. It's no putdown to say that, either. I wear cowboy boots most days, and it's been decades since I've been astride a horse. I just like the way those boots look.

It's a different story over in Eastern Washington, where there is a real ranching industry (I once worked in it). But even over there, the cowboy regalia is seen as mostly affectation. You certainly don't need pointy-toed boots and hats with four-inch brims to perform ranch work. For that matter, you rarely have much use for a horse.

Some of my family live in western Oklahoma, and I can tell you that there hats and boots are definitely not an affectation. They seem almost universal on working cowboys, as well as the rodeo crowd, etc.