SWEATBAND COLOR CHANGE

[Cigarband]

If this has been answered before please direct me to it, if not, here goes.

When did American hat makers change from brown to black sweatbands, and why? I await the flood of knowledge.

 

[ThesFlishThngs]

I'm a little curious too; still somewhat overwhelmed on the plethora of men's hat topics here!

 

[Brad Bowers]

The general consensus, I think, is mid-'60s, though I've seen evidence that Hat Corporation of America started doing it in the late-'50s.

There are, of course, exceptions throughout the decades.

Brad

 

[Woodfluter]

Re those exceptions, and with an eye to dating...not sure this falls into a simple "brown vs black" dichotomy.

There's what I'd call light brown or tan or "natural". Mostly what I've seen on earlier hats. My uninformed guess is that leather dyes weren't as stable then and they weren't going to risk bleed onto lighter felts with moisture, so used this as default.

There's black on newer hats. Probably when the dyes became completely bleed-proof.

Then there's a darkish brown that doesn't seem so easily pigeonholed??? On some makes?

Help! Inquiring minds are, ummmm, inquiring.

- Bill

 

[Dewhurst]

An even more interesting question for me would be: Why? Is there any practical reason or is it just for kicks?

I can't think of many reasons for caring, either way.