Stetson Hats is a company born from true innovation. John B Stetson took his skills and entrepreneurial spirit and built a company that is known world wide today for setting the standard for cowboy hats. The name Stetson is as strong today as it has been throughout history.


John B Stetson grew up learning to become a hatter under his father, Stephen. Instead of joining in business with his father, John decided to travel west across America and make a name for himself. That is exactly what he did and more.

Hatters were not exactly a widely praised profession. In the 1800s a hatter was considered a lazy profession. John B Stetson changed all that when he showed that he was anything but lazy. He moved west and used his skills to produce the first cowboy hat.

His first hat was made from beaver fur, featured a wide brim and was waterproof. It immediately caught on with cowboys who needed such a hat to protect them while they were working. This first style is still the style for which Stetson Hats is known. Many even call cowboy hats Stetsons.

In 1865, after spending years in the west building his ideas, Stetson moved back to the east and opened a hat company in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania. He was producing hats for outdoor use and expanded upon the cowboy style he had developed. Most of his new ideas were loosely based on the cowboy hat style. The style “The Boss of the Plains” became a huge success and enabled Stetson to expand his company. In 1886 Stetson had the largest hat company in the world. Stetson Hats had changed the hat making process and by 1906 was producing about 2 million hats a year.

Stetson Hats not only set the standard for cowboy hats, but the company created dress cowboy hats that also helped to launch the company into the historic icon it is today. The Stetson name is well known for high quality and is considered one of the best hats you can buy in the world.

Stetson hats have been worn by many famous people, mostly icons of the cowboy era, like Buffalo Bill. In the 1930s Stetson started producing military hats along with women’s hats. The company has produced hats all over the world, including Germany, Japan and Australia.

In 1971 Stetson Hats closed their factory in Pennsylvania and began producing hats through various manufacturers under licensing agreements. In the 1980s the demand for cowboy style hats hit another peak and Stetson Hats started introducing new lines. During the 80s, Stetson hats produced cologne, luggage, handbags, umbrellas and scarves. The hats and other products are sold all around the world even today.

Stetson has been a strong company despite the drops in demand for cowboy hats throughout the years. The main reason for the longevity of this company is the standards and values upon which it was built. Stetson is based on a strong need for innovative ideas and high quality. Plus, the commitment that Stetson had to spreading the style and needs of the cowboy way of life when he developed that first hat and opened his first factory.

Stetson is famous for making one of the best known hats in the world. This distinction stems from over a century of hard work, dedication and pride in creating a product that suits the needs of consumers, is durable and is a product people have come to love. Today it is still a family owned company that seeks to evoke the spirit of the old American West in each and every product they produce.

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This entry was posted on Tuesday, September 15th, 2009 at 1:04 pm and is filed under General News, Leather, Western Apparel. You can follow any responses to this entry through the RSS 2.0 feed. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.