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With the advent of “hipster” fashion, dress hats enjoy a
resurgence.
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STETSON TIMELINE
CELEBRATING
150 YEARS
1830 - 1864
A Young Man Goes
West
John Batterson
Stetson is born in 1830 in Orange, NJ, the seventh of twelve
children. His father, Stephen, is a successful hatter who founded the
No Name Hat Company. With little formal schooling, young John B.
Stetson is taught to read and write by his mother and the hatter’s
trade by his father. Contracting tuberculosis in his twenties,
Stetson ventures west.
1865 - 1869
Return to
Philadelphia
Stetson reaches
Pikes Peak and regains his health but does not strike it rich. In
1865 he returns to Philadelphia, borrows $60 from his sister and
rents a room at Seventh and Callowhill Streets, launching his own hat
business. With many hat makers in the city, Stetson struggles to
compete, until he gambles on his instinct for a market out west…
1870 - 1875
Factory is
Established
In 1870, less than a
year after making his first “Boss of the Plains”, John B. Stetson
purchases a building on the northern outskirts of Philadelphia,
establishing what would become the largest hat factory in America.
Stetson builds his legacy as a business innovator, steward of a
company as concerned for the welfare of its employees as in its
commercial output.
1876 - 1900
In the Twilight of a
Century
As America
celebrates its 100th birthday, Stetson is renowned as an established
industrial power, collecting awards, admirers in many fields and
international attention.
1901 - 1919
Industrial Evolution
As the century
dawns, John B. Stetson shepherds the company to unimagined success.
Combining an instinct for marketing that is ahead of its time with
traditional yet innovative techniques, his leadership makes Stetson a
household name and its hats the embodiment of American quality.
Sadly, this also marks the time of the founder’s death.
1920 - 1929
The Roaring Twenties
Stetson rides the
wave of the Jazz Age, creating new and fashionable hats to align with
the major Hollywood stars – and politicians – as well as the high
living and trendy “swells” of this generation.
1930 - 1939
Hard Times, New
Opportunities
In the extreme
hardship felt by all during the Great Depression, Stetson thrives by
continuing to innovate: expanding manufacturing and variety of
product to meet the aspirational hopes as well as the practical needs
of a struggling nation.
1940 - 1949
The Forties
Stetson readily
joins the war effort in World War II, producing tens of thousands of
hats for the military, contributing enlistees, labor and materials –
and launching an intriguing ad campaign based on the importance of
discretion during times of war.
1950 - 1959
The Fifties
In tune with postwar
optimism, Stetson creates “The World’s Most Expensive Hat”,
taking it on a worldwide publicity tour. Closer to home, Americans
enjoy peace and upward mobility, reflected in the advertisements of
the time.
1960 - 1969
The Sixties: a
Hatless President and LBJ
Decline in hat sales
begins in the fifties, and John F. Kennedy’s universally seen
hatless inauguration in January, 1961 delivers a near-fatal blow.
However, his successor, a hat-wearing Texan, exemplifies both the
legacy and direction of Stetson for the next decades, as Stetson
celebrates its first one hundred years.
1970 - 1979
Major Transitions
With hats no longer
a required accessory, many hat makers fold and Stetson ceases
production in the Philadelphia factory. The land is donated to the
city in 1977. Manufacturing continues in the St. Joseph, MO factory,
primarily servicing the flourishing Western market.
1980 - 1999
A Second Century
Draws to a Close
Stetson divests from
manufacturing and moves to licensed production, establishing itself
as a lifestyle brand, extending merchandising to fragrances and
eyewear. Films such as “Raiders of the Lost Ark” and “Urban
Cowboy” spark hat sales.
2000 - 2014
The Dawn of the 21st
Century
Defining the Stetson
lifestyle: product additions include apparel, footwear and home.
License is inked for Europe. A salute to history with a limited
edition collector’s Colt® revolver. At the same time, with the
advent of “hipster” fashion, dress hats enjoy a resurgence.
2015 -
Today and Tomorrow
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