THE 98th ANNUAL HEADWEAR ASSOCIATION DINNER

[SHARPETOYS]

THE 98th ANNUAL HEADWEAR ASSOCIATION DINNER WILL TAKE PLACE AT TAVERN ON THE GREEN ON MARCH 16th

The evening of cocktails, camaraderie, dinner and great headwear minds will include a talk by Neil Steinberg author of the book ?¢‚Ǩ?ìHatless Jack.?¢‚Ǩ?

This once-a-year event is a chance to meet and greet your fellow headwear industry friends and colleagues. The Headwear Association is poised to do great things, but they need everyone?¢‚Ǩ‚Ñ¢s input (and energy) to gain momentum.

Join your fellow Headwear retailers, designers and manufacturers for a great evening of networking and news. The annual Retailer of the Year Award will be given to Corey Oranje of The Hat Guys, and the Rosenthal Award will also be given out to a very special headwear person.

If you want to receive an invitation, or need additional information on this annual once- a- year event contact: Kathy Milligan at 800-675-1187 ext. 1333 or
email her at: kathym@dorfman-Pacific.com

Be there!

 

[riccardo]

mmm...I'll think you, on that date.
Riccardo.

 

[feltfan]

The annual Retailer of the Year Award will be given to Corey Oranje of The Hat Guys

Ouch, that's my local hat shop. As discussed elsewhere on this
forum, they have mangled at least four of my hats (three at one
time, or I woulda learned faster) and those of others. They
don't do their own cleaning and almost none of their own blocking.

I guess they have what
passes for a big selection these days, but it's sure nothing
unusual. If that's what the Association wants to reward, I'm
not optimistic about the future of headwear.

 

[scotrace]

THE 98th ANNUAL HEADWEAR ASSOCIATION DINNER WILL TAKE PLACE AT TAVERN ON THE GREEN ON MARCH 16th

Sharpey - City? State?

 

[Matt Deckard]

We already have our own headwear association, and i think we are a bit more connected to the male hat wearing public (don't quote me on that).

 

[Brad Bowers]

Sharpey - City? State?

I'm guessing New York City, since Tavern on the Green is in Central Park. I was surprised the article wasn't more explicit!

Brad

 

[John in Covina]

That's the thing, they need the quotes

We already have our own headwear association, and i think we are a bit more connected to the male hat wearing public (don't quote me on that).

*********************
There it is, that here is a knowledgeable group that are really concerned about the male headwear but do we keep it a secret from the retailers or manufacturers and then wonder why they don't listen.

We need a letter writing campaign to these bums to tell them:
better furfelts,
less stiffener crap,
and more faithful copies of the best of the vintage models.

We want a positive image promotion of fedoras and the headwear that well dressed men want.

Can someone work up a good letter to down load and put it in the FAQ's files area with a list of manufacturers and retailers addresses. So we can: print out the letter send it to the President of Stetson, Bailey, Biltmore or Borsalino. Just a couple of stamps later, they'll have a vote for improvement and a return to quality plus we can get them to monitor the Lounge if they want to know where the heart of the matter lies.

Some respond when they see the crowd,
others respond only when they see the rope with the noose,
while others don't even realized the crowd has torches and pitchforks.
We need a protest outside of the restaurant demanding a return to quality and competent customer service! Does anyone have a megaphone?
"What do we want?!"
"We want a return to vintage quality!"
"We want a return to vintage Style!"
"We want Bogart!"
"When do we want it?!"
"Now!"

Get the press release out to the Times, the Post, the Daily News
and Newsday maybe the Wall Street Journal. "Militant fedora wearers hold vigil. Film at 11."

Could be fun.fftopic:

 

[scotrace]

Matt? The results of your letter writing were..?

 

[John in Covina]

Matt? The results of your letter writing were..?

*****
One person writing may be dismissed as a crank, but letter coming in by the tens or hundreds tends to appear on the radar screen.:arated:

 

[Fedora]

Heck, give me an address, and I will write these guys. I have about 10 years of legitimate gripes and suggestions that I need to get off my chest!! One of my pet peeves is the horrible 705 Schiff ribbon that they have the nerve to call hat band grade. It is junk. They Schiff have the patterns for the 50-7005 ribbon, but would rather save that for the big boys, and then try to load this inferiour 705 crap on the small hatters that cannot afford to buy 7500 hundred yards from them in order to get decent ribbon, in nice vintage colors. Most of the stuff that sell to us is better suited as being used in the waist bands of trousers, where it is hidden, under the material. That group needs to lobby the ribbon manufacturer, and the sweatand manufacuters as well. I am tired of the painted on colors of the sweats available today. Marc who is making the European Adventurebilt, can get the real McCoy, in sweatbands, The leather is dyed, all the way through with the outside color of the sweats, just like the "real leather" sweats of yesteryear were done. Even Akubra uses real sweatband leather. I think we can thank Hatco for much of the demise of the "parts" needed to make hats. Fedora

 

[John in Covina]

Petition Organize Strength in Numbers

First: If you want to send a letter then ask the Lounge members if they care to sign on as a petition.

Second: Is the small hat makers need to band together, to protect their position and see if they can pool their purchasing needs to meet the vendors requirements. The Custom Hatters Association or titled something like that. In auto parts, the small mom & pop parts houses often join a regional group to present a better purchasing position. Hatters can do the same, i would suppose.

Third: if you find the goods outside the US are better then the Custom Hatters Association can consider making purchases and importing the goods.

Fourth: on the ribbon guys that want 7500 yard orders, well if you can get samples of their stuff, then somewheres on this globe is an emerging country that can produce a very similar ribbon for a lot less. Bring it in thru the CHA.

One of the problems with manufacturer's and vendors is NO ONE wants to sit on stock (parts or items for sale.) The problem also lies with an ordering scheme known as JIT or Just in Time which pushes back who is holding stock closer and closer to the manufacturer. It forces an exclusion of small runs, any slower moving items are forced out of being a viable item to produce or hold in stock. If you have ever listened to the proponents of JIT, their answer is always airfrieght or Fedex, with little explanation as to who pays for it or how you make a profit after absorbing those costs.

I have seen a number of businesses suffer badly after making serious mistakes on freight allowances.

 

[besdor]

I am going to the dinner . Believe me , it's more about BS than anything else .I've been going for years and nothing ever gets done . The biggest thing that happened in the last few years was the introduction of hangtags on straw hats to promote their effectiveness in preventing skin cancer .
As far as complainig about quality , it doesn't help .:cool2:

 

[mthatter]

erased by mt

 

[besdor]

They are all dead!! There is one gentleman who was our Stetson salesman for many years who was very involved in the hat association during the 1950's . He is in the Hat Life pictures in the later 1950's . Today he is 83 years old and is one of the last links to the golden years of the past .
I was told that years ago , these dinners had over 500 people attending . Today , if 75 people show up , it's a full house. :cool2:

 

[Aaron Hats]

Maybe we ought to start our own association and show 'em how it's done.

 

[Brad Bowers]

I was told that years ago , these dinners had over 500 people attending . Today , if 75 people show up , it's a full house. :cool2:

Do they still attend dressed in formal attire?

 

[John in Covina]

Maybe we ought to start our own association and show 'em how it's done.

********
You really should!