Renowned Hat Companies

These hat companies are some of the best & brightest headwear manufacturers, wholesalers, suppliers & retailers.

For more information on any of these companies, please click on the company name below:

Stetson Hats

Stetson Hats

In 1865, with $100, John B. Stetson rented a small room, bought the tools he needed, bought $10 worth of fur and the John B. Stetson Hat Company was born. A year later the “Hat of the West” or the now famous “Boss of the Plains” hat was born and the name Stetson was on its way to becoming the mark of quality, durability, innovation and beauty.

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Adam Hats

Adam Hats

Adam Hats manufactured and sold a variety of hats, including the traditional fedora, and pork pie hat. In late spring of each year, Adam Hats promoted straw hats for the summer. The brand was very popular in the 1940′s and 1950′s due to the New York based Adam Hats was a sponsor of radio broadcasts of boxing matches which were held at Madison Square Garden.

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Biltmore Hats

Biltmore Hats

Biltmore Hats Inc. has established a legacy of quality and craftsmanship with unmatchable production talent as a Master Hatter by providing quality products. They produces some of the finest hats in the world. This tradition, which began in 1917, has been developed with the hard work and dedication to fine hats.

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Dobbs Fifth Avenue

Dobbs Fifth Avenue

The history of Dobbs dates back to the 1930’s when the company name was Hat Corp. of America and they were located at 417 Fifth Avenue, New York. Dobbs hats are worn by those who seek only the finest in classic straw and felt hats. Today, the Dobbs label and name continues to represent the finest quality men’s classic felt and straw dress hats.

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Bailey
Founded in 1922 by George Bailey, and still in production.

Barbisio
A classic Italian manufacturer, and a competitor of Borsalino. Closed in the 80s.

Bates
Edward Bates Ltd of London was founded on Jermyn Street at the turn of the last century, and remains in business today. 

Beaver Brand
Founded in 1860 in St. Louis, Missouri, and based in New Haven, Missouri since 1928, this manufacturer, Formerly known as Gauss-Hunicke and Langenburg Hat Co is still in operation today. Read More >> 

Bee Hats
Originally located on Washington Avenue in downtown St. Louis, but no longer in production as of 2000.

Borsalino
A classic Italian manufacturer, still doing business today. The company began in 1857, in Alessandria Italy; when Giuseppe Borsalino set up the first artisan workshop for the production of felt hats. When Giuseppe Borsalino died in 1900, his business employed almost a thousand workers and boasted an annual production of one million hats. By 1913 the company employed more than 2500 workers and reached an annual production of more than 2 million hats with its products reaching every corner of the world. Read More >>

Brent
The “house” brand for Montgomery Wards stores…

Brooks Brothers

Cavanagh
One of the premiere hat-makers in the 1920s and 30s, Cavanagh remained a premier hat maker through the 1950s, and made excellent hats into the 60s. 
The company was located in Norwalk, CT, where many of the the high end hatters were located: Knox, Crofut & Knapp, and Dobbs.
Dobbs and Cavanagh formed Cavanagh-Dobbs in 1928, and added Crofut & Knapp to the fold in 1929. Hat Corporation of America took over the company in 1932. Read More >>

Cervo
Cervo is fine Italian hatter, and has from time to time been contracted by Borsalino to make their felts and hats.

Champ
Considered a budget to mid-quality brand by many, Champ made a really nice quality hat, and though they were certainly not top-of-the-line, they had a lot of style!

Christy’s of London
Founded by Miller Christy in a small courtyard shop off Gracechurch Street in the city of London in 1773, Christy’s is still manufacturing fine quality hats today.

Churchill
A line of fine quality hats, the Churchill line was bought out by Resistol in the 1950s, though Resistol continued to produce hats under that name for quite some time.

Crofut & Knapp
The makers of Knapp Felt Hats in New York City. The company was actually located in Norwalk, CT, where many of the the high end hatters were located, including Knox, Cavanagh, and Dobbs.
The company merged with Cavanagh-Dobbs in 1929, which was, in turn, taken over by Hat Corporation of America in 1932.

Disney
Founded in 1885 in New York City

Dobbs
One of the premiere hat-makers in the 1930s and 1940s, and still around today. The company was located in Norwalk, CT, where many of the the high end hatters were located, including Knox, Crofut & Knapp, and Cavanagh.
Dobbs and Cavanagh formed Cavanagh-Dobbs in 1928, and added Crofut & Knapp to the fold in 1929. Hat Corporation of America took over the company in 1932.

Dorfman Pacific
Dorfman Pacific prides itself in being one of the largest full-line, in-stock headwear companies in the world. The company began in 1921 as Dorfman Hat & Cap Company in a 5,000 square foot facility in Oakland, California. They recently celebrated their 90th year in business at their 275,000 square foot facility in Stockton, California. Read More >>

Dunlap
Merged with Knox in 1918, though they continued to make hats under this brand name.

Guerra
Another very good Italian hat.

P. & C. Habig
Austria.

Hat Corporation of America (HatCo)
Founded in the 1930s by John Cavanagh, whose Park Avenue hat shop was among the most prestigious in the United States.

Knox
One of the premiere hat-makers in the day, along with Dobbs and Cavanagh, Knox positioned their hats as being the best money could buy, and had a knack for exploiting a market with slick advertising.
The company was located in Norwalk, CT, where many of the the high end hatters were located, including Cavanagh, Crofut & Knapp, and Dobbs.
Knox was bought out by Byer-Rolnick (Resistol) and eventually became part of HatCo in the 1960s. Read More >> 

Langenburg (Lion Hats)
Founded in 1860 Gauss-Hunicke in St. Louis, the Langenburg Hat Co is the forerunner of Beaver Brand hats. 

Largomarsino
A South American manufacturer in Argentina, the company, still in business today. 

Lee
Located in the hat-making center at Danbury, CT, Lee was probably the most prolific producer of hats for private labelling . . . such as the economic JC Penney (Marathon) line and such; while their own brand ran from mid-grade to fine quality.

James Locke & Co.
Established in 1676, James Lock & Co. Ltd. is the oldest hat shop in the world, as well as being one of the oldest family owned businesses still in existence. A postcard from abroad was once delivered to the shop, simply addressed to “the best hatters in the world, London”, and ask any London taxi driver for “Lock’s”, and without question he will deliver you to number 6, St. James’s Street. Over the years, Lock’s have supplied headwear to many tens of thousands of people from all walks of life who have sought out quality and service. As well as many historical figures including Sir Winston Churchill, Charles Chaplin, Sir Anthony Eden, and Admiral Lord Nelson.

Lincoln Bennett & Co.
British

Mallory
Owned by the E. A. Mallory Company, Mallory Hats was one of the oldest hat-makers in the United States when the brand was sold to Stetson in 1946. 
The Mallory Factory in Danbury, Conneticut, was in production from 1860 until 1969, when it was sold to the Danbury Hat Company which filed for bankruptcy in 1987.  Read More >>

Mayser 
Germany.

Marathon
Made by Lee for J.C. Penney’s.

Mossant
The Mossant factory was in Bourg-de-Péage, France, and manufactured some of the finest hats in the early decades of the 20th century. The brand was considered the pinaacle in France and but was also well-known in the United States for most of the twentieth century. The company was founded by Charles Mossant in the nineteenth century, and by 1929 more than 2,000 hats a day were being produced; half of them were directly shipped to the U.S. Hat production ended in 1998. 

Panizza
The Panizza Headwear Company is among the oldest companies in Italy, having been manufacturing headwear since 1898.

Puerto Fino
Founded 50 years ago, this South American manufacturer is in Columbia and is still in business today.

Resistol
Founded in Dallas Texas by financier E.R. Byer and hat maker Harry Rolnick in 1927 the firm of Byer-Rolnick produced men’s felt hats in Western and Dress stylings, under the newly created brand name “Resistol Hats,” meaning to resist-all weather. Distribution was limited to Texas and Oklahoma early on, but by the late 1930s wasnation-wide. Byer-Rolnick was eventually bought by Hatco in the 1960s. Read More >>

Rundle & White 
Established in the mid-1800s in Danbury, Conneticut.

Scala
The brand is now owned by Dorfman-Pacific.

Schoble
Frank Schoble & Co was founded in Pennsylvania in the 1880s.

Selco
Founded in 1898 in Brooklyn, New York, Selco traced its root back to 1799 and the Italian and Czech firm of Selentino. They manufactured hats into the 1950s, and there is still a Selco store in Brooklyn today.

Smithbilt Hats
The Smithbilt legend was born in 1919. A century later, it’s still a Smithbilt. In 1946, Morris created the first white cowboy hat. Little did he know the White Hat would become the internationally recognized symbol of the Calgary Stampede and the City of Calgary. Today, the company is owned & operated by a group of Calgary area businessmen, all of whom are associated with the Calgary Stampede. Dedicated to the promotion of western values and traditions they are committed to moving the legendary Smithbilt name forward with an emphasis on quality and service. Read More >>

Stetson, John B.
John Batterson Stetson was born in East Orange, New Jersey in 1830. His father, Stephen Stetson, was a successful hatter and taught his children the trade. Stetson developed tuberculosis as a young man, and moved west hoping to recover. He first settled in St. Joseph, Missouri, and later moved west following the Gold Rush to California, before finally returning to Philadelphia to try his hand at the hat manufacturing trade.

Stetson found the eastern hat market difficult, and so turned his attention to the Westerners… marketing hats based upon styles he had seen and developed during his own travels. By 1872, he was also marketing dress hats in his own catalog, and by the turn of the twentieth century he had the world’s largest hat factory. Although John Stetson died in 1906, his company followed men’s fashions into the twentieth century, manufacturing top hats, bowlers, homburgs, fedoras, and trilbys, as well as straw hats in both western and dress styles.
By the early 1950s, there were fewer dress hat wearers, and Stetson has since focused primarily on their western hats. 

Stetson, Stephen
Of New York.

Tilley
Tilley Endurables makes Hats and the finest travel clothing for men and women. Ingenuity, practicality and enduring quality. Proudly manufactured in Canada.

Trimble
Located in Orange, New Jersey, the Trimble Hat Company was a popular hat manufacturing company during the late 19th century and the first half of the 20th century. 

Wormser
Wormser was considered a mid-range hat, though several were just as good as any vintage Stetson or Mallory. They had different levels of quality. Worth and Worth Founded in 1922.

Chart of Hat Companies

Company Name Web Address City, State Country
Bailey Hat. Co. www.baileyhats.com New York, NY United States
Bollman Hat Company www.bollmanhats.com Adamstown, PA United States
Broner Hat & Glove Company www.broner.com Auburn Hills, MI United States
Capas Headwear www.capasheadwear.com Maspeth, NY United States
Cortadoria Nacional de Pelo S.A. www.cortadoria.pt S. Joao Da Madeira, Others Portugal
Crown Cap (1987) Ltd. www.crowncap.com Winnipeg, Others Canada
Dorfman Pacific Co., Inc. www.dorfman-pacific.com New York, NY United States
Dorfman Pacific Hats www.dorfmanpacific.com Stockton, CA United States
F & M Hat Co., Inc. www.fmhat.com Denver, PA United States
Global One Headwear Ltd www.globaloneheadwear.com Hong Kong, Others China
HATQUARTER limited www.hatquarter.com Hong Kong, Others Hong Kong
Head ‘N Home Hats www.hnhhats.com Freedom, CA United States
Jay Gerish Co. www.jaygerish.com West Caldwell, NJ United States
Judith M Millinery Supply House www.judithm.com LaGrange, IN United States
Kathy Jeanne Inc. www.kathyjeanne.com Fairfield, NJ United States
KingTing Millinery Co.,Ltd www.millinery.cn Guangzhou, Others China
Korber Hats Inc. www.korberhats.com Fall River, MA United States
Magid Handbags www.magidhandbags.com New York, NY United States
Philadelphia Rapid Transit www.phillyrapid.com Pennasauken, NJ United States
Pralana Hats and Felts www.pralana.com.br Limeira, SP, Others Brazil
Seagull International Inc. www.seagullintl.com Philadelphia, PA United States
Serratelli Hat Company www.serratellihatcompany.com Newark, NJ United States
Something Special www.somethingspecialhat.com Commerce, CA United States
Star Binding Mfg. Co. www.starbinding.com St. Louis, MO United States
Star Printing Company, LLC. www.starprintingcompany.com St. Louis, MO United States
Stratton Hats, Inc. www.strattonhats.com Bellwood, IL United States
Sun N Sand Accessories www.sunnsand.com Grand Prairie, TX United States
Sun Yorkos Enterprise (USA) www.sye.com Kearny, NJ United States
Ying Mei & Company www.hktdc.com/em/yingmei Hong Kong, Others Hong Kong
Young An Hat Co. LTD www.youngan.com Bucheon City, Kyunggi-do, Others Korea (South)