High Style Brands Absent Here

[AlterEgo]

Makins, Peto, Minna, Stacy Adams, Goorin are brands of what appear to be "fashion-forward" if not "edgy" or perhaps, to some, downright ridiculously styled hats.

I've seen them in catalogues, but I've never personally inspected them, and they are conspicuous by their absence here.

Hartford York describes the Makins as "made in NYC on wooden blocks using live steam just like in days of old." OK, so are Makins or any of the other brands mentioned--despite their generally non-traditional styling--made of good materials at a high level of quality?

 

[fedoralover]

Ahh, well as you noted they are absent here and that should answer your question. People who hang out here for a while know what quality brands to buy and what brands not to waste their money on.

fedoralover

 

[theinterchange]

I think their absence here has to do with the fact that they're like you said, more fashion forward and edgy. Especially when compared to the look that most of us here prefer. As in, classic lines and that Golden Era persona. [though, I readily admit I like the 60's stingy brims too]

In terms of quality, I can't speak as I haven't had the chance to inspect them first hand. So, I will refrain from making a blanket statement that they're not quality, though I suspect they're like most other modern hats.

Randy

 

[Zanzibarstar]

My very first fedora style hat purchase was a Bailey stingy brim wool pinstripe number....I loved it for awhile. But then I got my first vintage fur felt, and knew I'd never go back. The wool hats just aren't the same. The brim doesn't snap like real felt, and I don't really trust any hats that only come in Small, Medium, or Large!

 

[RBH]

Some of the Steve Harvey Dobbs line of straws are really nice, 2 1\2 brim and tall crown.
I have 2 of them.
Milan type straw.

 

[Sam Craig]

Makins, Peto, Minna, Stacy Adams, Goorin are brands of what appear to be "fashion-forward" if not "edgy" or perhaps, to some, downright ridiculously styled hats.

There are good hats and poor ones

Well designed ones and others that are just cranked out

I have hats made of silk, fur felt, wool felt, straw, canvas, leather, denim, wool fabric, and pith ... I think that's about it

Anyway ... in all of them, there are nice, enjoyable hats

A good design is just that

And a cheap knock-off is that, too

If someone creates a style that is good looking and makes it from quality material ... even if that is out of recycled milk jugs, more power to them.

quality will always out

 

[jlee562]

Goorin Brothers, based here in SF, doesn't really do the whole fur felt hat thing anymore....they're mostly the contemporary styled ones....they're not that bad looking though, I stop by their shop in the Haight sometimes.

 

[AlterEgo]

Thanks everyone--for re-stating the obvious and making broad generalizations.

I don't expect many here, if any, to LIKE the style of these fashion-forward hats--I don't either--but, once again, has anyone here had any personal experience with them to assess their materials and construction quality?

Why do I care? Having been accorded the "hat expert" designation in my locality, people come to me all the time asking about lids. Some of them are less than half my age, some of another ethnicity, and many members of these groups are attracted to the brands I mentioned. Yet, while I'll make suggestions, I would never be so overbearing to foist my tastes on someone else. I'd at least like to be able to offer something substantive to them in terms of these hats' overall quality. But I know nothing about them and am no help at all.

And, who knows, some of these brands may catch on and be The Next Big Thing. Remember when those odd-looking cars from Japan were the butt of jokes and never considered serious contenders to The Big Four? Those peculiar, "cheap" automobiles were Toyota, Honda, Datsun/Nissan, Mazda, Mitsubishi.

Nothing stays the same but change.

 

[Brad Bowers]

No offense meant, but I really doubt anyone here can answer your question, with perhaps the exception of Besdor, and only because he's in the industry.
The brands in question have never been mentioned here because they aren't the kind of hats folks here would wear, so none of us would have had occasion or need to examine them for a quality check. In other words, we really don't know the answer to your question.

Brad

 

[jlee562]

Well, I can say that Goorin's hats look well made, but I don't own one.

 

[Pompidou]

You can see Stacy Adams hats alongside the other brands discussed here at thefedorastore.com. That's how I'd judge quality. Price. When an item ranges in price from 60-600 dollars, the difference is quality. Stacy Adams, for example, almost never ventures into the low 100s. She keeps her hats mid double digits - the low end of the price spectrum. If I'm buying a new hat, I won't spend less than 100 on it. That's my suggestion - judge the hats on how much they cost. Top quality for bargain price isn't the norm. If it's cheap, it's probably cheap. That's my 2 cents.

 

[bbshriver]

"Lids" brand fedoras are CHEAP.
I have 2, and bought them for the purpose of being cheap.

Haven't tried more name-brand types.

 

[theinterchange]

Why do I care? Having been accorded the "hat expert" designation in my locality, people come to me all the time asking about lids.

That's a tough thing. I'm that way in my neighborhood with eBay and the internet in general. Make a small mention to one person that you sell stuff on eBay and people come out of the woodwork. It's scary when you don't have the answers to even the most idiotic questions when someone genuinely asks. Having said that, I really DO enjoy helping folks when I can.

Is there anywhere you can go in person to have a look at the hats you've mentioned? Sorry if I'm stating another obvious observation, just thinking out loud.

Randy

P.S Having done a little internet surveillance, I'd say Goorin are glorified Target hats. Most of what I saw were cloth of some sort, and were I to come across someone who was determined to wear a cloth fashion fedora, I'd point them to Target or Urban Outfitters.

Makins seems to have some interesting looking hats, but seem a bit pricey. I find it humorous that the difference between the Fall and Spring collections is only a change in straw colors and a few felts thrown into the Fall mix

 

[Lloyd]

I was in the Goorin store in LA a couple of weeks ago and there was not a single felt hat to be seen so it was pretty quick visit. Some nice hat stands though

 

[jmrtnko]

Fast-fashion hats

Most of the above mentioned brands are fast-fashion, like H&M. They are designed to be quick to produce, so when a new trend pops up, a manufacturer can have a new design on shelves in a month. They're designed to be cheap, so when that new style comes in, marking down the old models isn't that much of a loss. They're also designed to be interchangeable, so if someone likes one model, it's easy for them to get another in a different color or pattern.

Visually, I have liked several of them. I even just recently bought a Stetson Ebano which is their attempt at getting into the market. But, besides visual trends or the overall hat market, I can't think of all that much to discuss about them.

So, reading the previous posts I probably already have my answer, but what do people think about the place of these hats in the hat market? Do you see them introducing younger people to wearing hats? Do you see them eroding the custom market?

Good or bad, I've seen a lot of new hat stores open in the past few years. My wife is a milliner, so I've had the opportunity to talk to several of these owners and while they do carry these cheaper fast-fashion hats and make the bulk of their money from them, most of them aspire to having higher end, classic and custom some day. I found that very interesting. My wife's stuff is pretty traditional hatmaking-inspired and appropriately priced, but it's these newer stores that are the ones most excited about selling it.

Another thing they mentioned is that these new men's styles are just as likely to be, or even more often, bought by women.