Stetson Foreign Production

[Jimvint]

Hi. I have a question about Stetson production.
I have read that Stetson did outsource hat production in the past. I think Germany and Australia were two countries. Has Stetson ever made hats in Ireland?

 

[Hurricane Jack]

At the time that Stetson negotiated a new union labor agreement in 1968 they already had licensing agreements with companies in 14 other countries. Only a few of those 14 have been documented. No complete list has ever surfaced.

 

[Jimvint]

At the time that Stetson negotiated a new union labor agreement in 1968 they already had licensing agreements with companies in 14 other countries. Only a few of those 14 have been documented. No complete list has ever surfaced.

Thank you for the info.

 

[Frunobulax]

At the time that Stetson negotiated a new union labor agreement in 1968 they already had licensing agreements with companies in 14 other countries. Only a few of those 14 have been documented. No complete list has ever surfaced.

I'm curious. Where does the 14 come from?

 

[Hurricane Jack]

I'm curious. Where does the 14 come from?

From published accounts on the closing of Philadelphia. If memory serves me on what I didn’t say, the labor agreements were 3 yr contracts. During the negotiations of the 1965 contract the labor union started to give concessions in an effort to keep Philadelphia open. Here’s what I did say:

“By the late 1960's the Stetson Philadelphia plant was outdated & experiencing labor union problems. The Stetson St. Joseph, MO plant was down to just making a few Western hats. For several yrs Stetson had been under the control of two New York financiers, Ira Guilden and Phillip A. Roth (Ramco Enterprises, Inc). By Dec 1970 Stetson's President Phillip A. Roth had started looking for someone to license the manufacturing rights & the Stetson name to. He came to terms with the Stevens Hat Manufacturing Co in St. Joseph, MO (~1971, exact date unknown?). Stetson already had licensing agreements with companies in 14 other countries starting in 1968 after signing a 3 yr union labor agreement.”

https://www.thefedoralounge.com/thr...-john-b-stetson-company-et-al-suitors.102447/

Other than Canada & Australia, maybe Mexico, we don’t see many licensed Stetsons show up here in the US I don’t think. Maybe we could elicit the help of our brethren across the pond to help identify the list?

 

[Bamaboots]

Other than Canada & Australia, maybe Mexico, we don’t see many licensed Stetsons show up here in the US I don’t think.

Canadian Stetson’s weren’t made under license, at least after 1935 when Stetson bought the Walthausen Hat Factory in Brockville, Ontario. They operated that factory until 1970.

 

[moehawk]

If memory serves Failsworth made them in England.

 

[Frunobulax]

If memory serves Failsworth made them in England.

And we've seen some German ones, I believe. Mayser?

 

[moehawk]

And we've seen some German ones, I believe. Mayser?

I believe so.
To get back to OP's question about Irish made Stetsons, I believe there was a thread a couple years ago discussing whether Ireland had a fur felt hat industry. It seems they did not. Makes sense, because if there were any Irish made felt hats, they would be very sought after here, so everyone could bust them out mid-March...
I don't believe Stetson was in the business of starting industry where it didn't already exist. I think they made licensing agreements in countries that already had an established hatting industry. I wonder if they prefered companies that made every component they could in-house for better quality control...
Anyway, I bet one could narrow down the likely countries that had licensing agreement by searching top fur producing countries that weren't part of the Soviet bloc. I bet a few South American countries would be on that list.

 

[steur]

I believe so.
To get back to OP's question about Irish made Stetsons, I believe there was a thread a couple years ago discussing whether Ireland had a fur felt hat industry. It seems they did not. Makes sense, because if there were any Irish made felt hats, they would be very sought after here, so everyone could bust them out mid-March...
I don't believe Stetson was in the business of starting industry where it didn't already exist. I think they made licensing agreements in countries that already had an established hatting industry. I wonder if they prefered companies that made every component they could in-house for better quality control...
Anyway, I bet one could narrow down the likely countries that had licensing agreement by searching top fur producing countries that weren't part of the Soviet bloc. I bet a few South American countries would be on that list.

Mayser held the license for mainland Europe from 1954 onwards. The license for the UK was earlier: from 1949 it was held by Failsworth. There was no separate license for Italy.
I wonder if the Stetsons from Japan were made under license or just imported.

 

[TimmyV]

Mayser held the license for mainland Europe from 1954 onwards. The license for the UK was earlier: from 1949 it was held by Failsworth. There was no separate license for Italy.
I wonder if the Stetsons from Japan were made under license or just imported.

Here's a picture of the sweatband in an old hat in my collection that is stamped " Made in Japan by Permission ". Hope this helps.

 

[steur]

Here's a picture of the sweatband in an old hat in my collection that is stamped " Made in Japan by Permission ". Hope this helps.
View attachment 708055

Thanks, Timmy. Certainly looks like a license of some sort to me.