The story of this iconic Wild West hat, that’s actually younger than you might think, begins in 1865 in the far western plains. John B. Stetson, son of a hatter, took up his father’s enterprise and created the most recognized hat in history. First viewed in a negative light, the job of hatter being marginalized at the time, he would earn his pedigree thanks to the success of this bold project. Upon seeing cowboys subject to inclement weather and the blazing sun, the genius created the stetson, this impermeable felt hat that lightly rises and has wide edges, made to protect them all while giving them their telltale look.
Popularized by Buffalo Bill, nicknamed “The Boss of the Plains”, he galloped the wilderness in search of adventure. James Dean, an actor with an image that was subversive for his time, got a hold of the emblematic hat and raised the edges in a way that was particularly provocative for that era. He once more gave this icon the notion of liberty and independence. A symbol of the American identity, it incarnates a piece of the country’s history, becoming a piece of world renowned cultural patrimony in the process. Later on, designers would take the legend and rework it to open it up to a larger public and take away part of the over-masculine connotation it previously gave off. In 2009, Jean Paul Gaultier succeeded in this perilous exercise for Hermès, soon followed by Dior and Armani. For the centenary of its European distributor, Stetson Fedora is offering a collection inspired by the brands’ first styles. The Crosset is rejuvenated and released in different colors, along with the Cayce Top Hat and the Corinth. Each bears a silk lining adorned with the brand’s arms, to give its owner the breadth of a recent but nonetheless rich history, that of the conquest of the States through a fashion emblematic of an entire nation.
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