Phoenix Hat Company

T Jones said:

Rick is definitely an artist!

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deadlyhandsome said:

I sent Rick a HUGE Walden a while back for some restoration and modifications. Rick has had a crazy busy year, but still manages to make time to work on hats when he can. He recently sent me an email telling me that the hat is nearing completion! We knew that the sweatband would have to be replaced, but unbeknownst to me he went above and beyond to recreate the markings:

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It’s the perfectionist streak in artists that give us exceptional products. Thank you, Rick!

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steur said:

Beautiful work by Rick. This and the work Optimo did on Max @drmaxtejeda MacLachlan does bring up a point about copyright issues though. I'm all for restoring hats to as close to original state as possible, but my hatter pointed out that both name and logos even of brand names no longer in existence likely belong to someone. They certainly do for companies like Borsalino or Stetson. Borsalino doesn't offer replacement sweatbands and Stetson probably doesn't either, certainly not for hats like "no. 1 quality" hats, but they still could assert their rights and give hatters that offer services like this a hard time. Wether right or wrong, not a position you would want to be in as a hatter.
The legal small print may vary on this country to country, but what do you think? Loving restoration or copyright infringement or both?

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drmaxtejeda said:

That is one of the reasons I asked Graham to print "restored by Graham Thompson" on the sweatband, and the MacLachlan logo is not an exact copy.

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steur said:

It's what my hatter does as well, but she was still apprehensive about my idea of stamping a Borsalino logo on the sweatband of Borsalino hats. There's not much to fear I suppose since these restored hats are for our own enjoyment, but it could be different if advertised by a hatter. I did order a foil stamp die nonetheless.

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drmaxtejeda said:

If I were sued by MacLachlan I would frame the suit and hang it on my office wall

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steur said:

Beautiful work by Rick. This and the work Optimo did on Max @drmaxtejeda MacLachlan does bring up a point about copyright issues though. I'm all for restoring hats to as close to original state as possible, but my hatter pointed out that both name and logos even of brand names no longer in existence likely belong to someone. They certainly do for companies like Borsalino or Stetson. Borsalino doesn't offer replacement sweatbands and Stetson probably doesn't either, certainly not for hats like "no. 1 quality" hats, but they still could assert their rights and give hatters that offer services like this a hard time. Wether right or wrong, not a position you would want to be in as a hatter.
The legal small print may vary on this country to country, but what do you think? Loving restoration or copyright infringement or both?

Click to expand...

steur said:

Beautiful work by Rick. This and the work Optimo did on Max @drmaxtejeda MacLachlan does bring up a point about copyright issues though. I'm all for restoring hats to as close to original state as possible, but my hatter pointed out that both name and logos even of brand names no longer in existence likely belong to someone. They certainly do for companies like Borsalino or Stetson. Borsalino doesn't offer replacement sweatbands and Stetson probably doesn't either, certainly not for hats like "no. 1 quality" hats, but they still could assert their rights and give hatters that offer services like this a hard time. Wether right or wrong, not a position you would want to be in as a hatter.
The legal small print may vary on this country to country, but what do you think? Loving restoration or copyright infringement or both?

Click to expand...

deadlyhandsome said:

I’m not sure how this works. If I’m restoring a classic 1930s Chevrolet and I have a replacement grill (modern manufacture) that has the name “Chevrolet” on it along with the Chevrolet emblem I don’t think this causes an issue. I could well be wrong, but restoration work often does this without issue. I can see issues claiming “all original” or similar, but I think restoration work is safe.

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humanshoes said:

I suppose it would be an issue if I were using the Walden logo on my own hats and misrepresenting and selling them as an original Walden product, but a restoration is a far cry from that. If whoever owns the Walden brand name really wants to pay a couple of lawyers to come after me with an infringement suit for putting a Walden logo in a Walden hat, with full disclosure that the logo stamp and sweatband are not original then let 'em have at it. All they'll have to do is make a strong case for intentional infringement that includes "merchandising use" and be prepared to prove that I meant to profit from their trademark or copyright. Even if they were so inclined to squander their legal resources it would almost certainly be a fools errand to do so in my case.
To quote the bard himself, "He who steals my purse steals trash".

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deadlyhandsome said:

I’ll pay your legal fees.

Truly, I was blown away at your efforts with this hat! Thanks again, my friend.

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deadlyhandsome said:

My Walden returned home after a visit with Rick. It was sized up from a 7 3/8 to a 7 3/4. The liner no longer fit, so Rick made a new liner and used to original tip in the new one: a wonderful surprise. Rick also recreated the markings on the sweatband and the entire hat shows that same attention to detail. The ribbon and brim original; albeit, the ribbon came off and was modified to fit the larger diameter before going back on.

Six inch open crown and 4 5/8 inch bound brim.

The plan was for it to get a big brim curl; however, the felt is so soft that it won’t hold the curl. I don’t see that as a drawback as there is no shortage of felt that is half fur and half shellac! The crown wouldn’t seem out of place on a fine vintage fedora it’s that thin and malleable. I’m still working on the shape, but it’s already a prized hat. Rick outdoes himself with every new project!

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I'm sure I could pass this hat off as an original! Everything about it is superb. Thank you, Rick!

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deadlyhandsome said:

My Walden returned home after a visit with Rick. It was sized up from a 7 3/8 to a 7 3/4. The liner no longer fit, so Rick made a new liner and used to original tip in the new one: a wonderful surprise. Rick also recreated the markings on the sweatband and the entire hat shows that same attention to detail. The ribbon and brim original; albeit, the ribbon came off and was modified to fit the larger diameter before going back on.

Six inch open crown and 4 5/8 inch bound brim.

The plan was for it to get a big brim curl; however, the felt is so soft that it won’t hold the curl. I don’t see that as a drawback as there is no shortage of felt that is half fur and half shellac! The crown wouldn’t seem out of place on a fine vintage fedora it’s that thin and malleable. I’m still working on the shape, but it’s already a prized hat. Rick outdoes himself with every new project!

View attachment 304172 View attachment 304173 View attachment 304174 View attachment 304175 View attachment 304176 View attachment 304177
I’m sure I could pass this hat off as an original! Everything about it is superb. Thank you, Rick!

Click to expand...

deadlyhandsome said:

My Walden returned home after a visit with Rick. It was sized up from a 7 3/8 to a 7 3/4. The liner no longer fit, so Rick made a new liner and used to original tip in the new one: a wonderful surprise. Rick also recreated the markings on the sweatband and the entire hat shows that same attention to detail. The ribbon and brim original; albeit, the ribbon came off and was modified to fit the larger diameter before going back on.

Six inch open crown and 4 5/8 inch bound brim.

The plan was for it to get a big brim curl; however, the felt is so soft that it won’t hold the curl. I don’t see that as a drawback as there is no shortage of felt that is half fur and half shellac! The crown wouldn’t seem out of place on a fine vintage fedora it’s that thin and malleable. I’m still working on the shape, but it’s already a prized hat. Rick outdoes himself with every new project!

View attachment 304172 View attachment 304173 View attachment 304174 View attachment 304175 View attachment 304176 View attachment 304177
I’m sure I could pass this hat off as an original! Everything about it is superb. Thank you, Rick!

Click to expand...