jaco
Suspended
- Messages
- 35
- Location
- Milan - Italy
Hi all dear loungers
Since I started to read this forum I saw that all of you are complaining about Borsalino. All of you agree upon the fact that:
- actual production is far away from old production,
- the hats are outpriced
Well after some explorations and some interesting conversation with hat vendors I can say something interesting.
Actually Borsalino resides upon his brand but not as much as you can think.
As someone here clearly states the fact is that Italy is not hat wearers country: in the last years the tradition to go out ALWAYS with hats is almost lost.
I remember that my grandpa had always some kind of hat (fedora or, better, trilby or tweed caps named "coppola") on his head before going out.
Also my father always wear hat in spring and winter (and probably this is the reason why I'm fond of it).
Nowadays the trend has changed: especially in the northern of Italy (I grew in sicily and actually live in Milan) during cold days you always see people with wool berets and caps and only few brimmed hat (question of fashion trends? of practicality? of high prices?...I don't know but that's it).
This summer something has changed: I never saw in the past as many panama going around (only few good panama many cheap panama). Probably the "trendsetters" are rediscovering the beuty and fashion of a nice felt so I hope that in the next months I'll see more and more nice hats.
And, after this not so short introduction, the question: Italy has a big, noticeable tradition of fine hatters (Borsalino and Barbisio are the most famous) that during 60s passed through a big crisis caused by 68 "revolutionary movement". In that time felt hat is associated to "upper class" and everything with this tag must be destroyed.
Probably the time is mature for passing over this reminiscence.
I've notice (this is the focal point of thread, apologise me if I am a little verbose) that borsalino is moving up again versus good quality.
In milan there are 3/4 shops genuine borsalino brand (in which you can find all the latest collections) and another couple of good hat shops and entering these shops can be very instructive: I personally saw some recent hats absolutely stunning, some hats (probably leftovers of past productions) really nasty, some vintage hats incredible.
How can you explain that?
My theory (and conversation with shop owners confirmed) is that in the past 5-10 years Borsalino didn't have a market for very high quality felts (in Italy but, probably in the rest of the world too) so, counting upon the relevance of his name, they try to keep alive the business doing something (acceptable or not...is yor personal taste) and tryng to pass the crisis.
Now the market revive and the time are mature to go back to high standards.
I can assure you that the quality of last collection's felt is very good: I cannot make direct comparison with some high ends felt that you put as reference (Art Fawcett or Optimo Hats, for example) because I never had in my hands these products but the stetsons that I experienced are terrible near this beauties.
My personal supplier (Cappelleria Melegari) told me that only in the last 2/3 years they raised up quality indication to acquire felts.
Moreover you must know that near Milan there is Monza, well known for F1 race, that in the early years of 20th century was one of the biggest hat district in Italy: today Melegari continues to work (their facility is there) and to craft hats starting from felt process (for their well known, in Italy, custom hats) with the highest possible quality and to buy felts from the same vendors of Borsalino, receiving from them the feedback that nowadays is difficult to match the standards.
So....let me know your valued opinions about this.
P.S.: someone told in another tread that probably the quality of hats for Italy is higher than the rest of the world (Borsalino's speaking): is that possible?
Regards.
Since I started to read this forum I saw that all of you are complaining about Borsalino. All of you agree upon the fact that:
- actual production is far away from old production,
- the hats are outpriced
Well after some explorations and some interesting conversation with hat vendors I can say something interesting.
Actually Borsalino resides upon his brand but not as much as you can think.
As someone here clearly states the fact is that Italy is not hat wearers country: in the last years the tradition to go out ALWAYS with hats is almost lost.
I remember that my grandpa had always some kind of hat (fedora or, better, trilby or tweed caps named "coppola") on his head before going out.
Also my father always wear hat in spring and winter (and probably this is the reason why I'm fond of it).
Nowadays the trend has changed: especially in the northern of Italy (I grew in sicily and actually live in Milan) during cold days you always see people with wool berets and caps and only few brimmed hat (question of fashion trends? of practicality? of high prices?...I don't know but that's it).
This summer something has changed: I never saw in the past as many panama going around (only few good panama many cheap panama). Probably the "trendsetters" are rediscovering the beuty and fashion of a nice felt so I hope that in the next months I'll see more and more nice hats.
And, after this not so short introduction, the question: Italy has a big, noticeable tradition of fine hatters (Borsalino and Barbisio are the most famous) that during 60s passed through a big crisis caused by 68 "revolutionary movement". In that time felt hat is associated to "upper class" and everything with this tag must be destroyed.
Probably the time is mature for passing over this reminiscence.
I've notice (this is the focal point of thread, apologise me if I am a little verbose) that borsalino is moving up again versus good quality.
In milan there are 3/4 shops genuine borsalino brand (in which you can find all the latest collections) and another couple of good hat shops and entering these shops can be very instructive: I personally saw some recent hats absolutely stunning, some hats (probably leftovers of past productions) really nasty, some vintage hats incredible.
How can you explain that?
My theory (and conversation with shop owners confirmed) is that in the past 5-10 years Borsalino didn't have a market for very high quality felts (in Italy but, probably in the rest of the world too) so, counting upon the relevance of his name, they try to keep alive the business doing something (acceptable or not...is yor personal taste) and tryng to pass the crisis.
Now the market revive and the time are mature to go back to high standards.
I can assure you that the quality of last collection's felt is very good: I cannot make direct comparison with some high ends felt that you put as reference (Art Fawcett or Optimo Hats, for example) because I never had in my hands these products but the stetsons that I experienced are terrible near this beauties.
My personal supplier (Cappelleria Melegari) told me that only in the last 2/3 years they raised up quality indication to acquire felts.
Moreover you must know that near Milan there is Monza, well known for F1 race, that in the early years of 20th century was one of the biggest hat district in Italy: today Melegari continues to work (their facility is there) and to craft hats starting from felt process (for their well known, in Italy, custom hats) with the highest possible quality and to buy felts from the same vendors of Borsalino, receiving from them the feedback that nowadays is difficult to match the standards.
So....let me know your valued opinions about this.
P.S.: someone told in another tread that probably the quality of hats for Italy is higher than the rest of the world (Borsalino's speaking): is that possible?
Regards.
