"Un cow-boy sans femme est un cow-boy solitaire, un cow-boy sans Stetson est un cow-boy malheureux"

En 1865, avec 100$, un Américain nommé John B. Stetson loua une petite salle à Central City (Colorado), acheta des outils et pour 10$ de fourrures, et la John B. Stetson Company était née! Peu de temps après sortait LE chapeau de l' Ouest, le fameux "boss of the plain", un chapeau de feutre à bords très larges et coiffe haute afin de protéger celui qui le porte aussi bien du soleil que des intempéries .

A l'époque, un chapelier était vu comme peu fiable, paresseux ou distant, ne cherchant qu'à faire de l'argent. John B. Stetson a changé tout celà et a construit une des entreprises les plus renommées des U.S.A

140 ans plus tard, l'usine de chapeaux Stetson située à Garland (Texas) est l'une des plus grandes du pays et produit une ligne de chapeaux, casquettes et bonnets dans une centaine de genres et de couleurs, le style classique et la meilleure qualité restant à la base de la fabrication.

En conséquence, les chapeaux Stetson sont les plus connus au monde!
Stetson est la norme dans les chapeaux, l'esprit de l' Ouest et un icône de style de vie américain. En raison de son héritage authentique, Stetson restera dans l'histoire, et continuera dans le futur. Son premier modèle, le "boss of the plain", est toujours fabriqué.

Stetson, it's not just a hat, it's THE hat!!!

Les feutres de cowboys sont de bonne qualité. Ce sont des parapluies ou des ombrelles; leurs bords relevés servent de gouttières ou de chasse-neige, leurs ailes palpitantes remplacent les éventails et peuvent ranimer un feu ou rafraîchir l'atmosphère lourde et enfumée du "saloon". Plat ou élevé, cabossé ou fendu, noir, mastic, brun, taupé ou glacé, le Stetson est vissé sur la tête du Cowboy. Il est probable que même devant Dieu le Père, l'homme ne se découvrirait pas. Il n'a le geste large du chapeau que pour détourner un bouvillon ou effrayer une génisse.

Cowboy Hats in History

There are few items in the history of American culture that carry the same iconic weight as the cowboy hat. It is the one item of apparel that can be worn in any corner of the world and receive immediate recognition. As the old cowboy saying goes, 'It's the last thing you take off and the first thing that is noticed.'

The history of the cowboy hat is not that old. Before the invention of the cowboy hat, which means before John B. Stetson came along, the cowpunchers of the plains wore castoffs of previous lives and vocations. Everything from formal top hats and derbies to leftover remnants of the civil War headgear, to tams and sailor hats, were worn by men moving westward.

Today's cowboy hat has remained basically unchanged in construction and design since the first one was created in 1865. As the story goes, John B. Stetson and some companions went west to seek the benefits of a drier climate. During a hunting trip, Stetson amused his friends by showing them how he could make cloth out of fur without weaving.

Shortly after the turn of the century, the cowboy hat,

 although still in its infancy, nevertheless infused its wearer with a singular link to the history of the wild and woolly West. Even after the wild aspect of the West was somewhat tamed, the cowboy hat never really lost its ability to lend that reckless and rugged aura to its wearer.

Cowboy Hats in History - Stetson Hats

In 1865, with $100 in his pocket, John B. Stetson rented a small room, bought the tools he needed and $10 worth of fur; and the John B. Stetson Hat Company was born. A year later the "Hat of the West" or the now famous "Boss of the Plains" hat was born and the name Stetson was on its way to becoming the mark of quality, durability, innovation and beauty.

John B. Stetson experienced trying times in his life, but he relied on the one thing he did exceptionally well, making hats. He was trained by his father, a master hatter, and applied his skills and knowledge to a trade, not held in high regard.

A hatter was seen as unreliable, lazy, or aloof, only looking to make his money and go have fun. John B. Stetson changed all that and built one of America's most well-known and successful businesses. The longevity and history of the John B. Stetson Company is based on innovation and quality. John B. Stetson led the hat industry throughout his career, creating new styles, hats that possessed fashion and function. He believed in quality, and for the past 130 years, the name Stetson and quality are synonymous.

Today the Stetson hat factory in St. Joseph, Missouri is one of the largest in the country, and produces a line of hats in hundreds of various styles and colors. In spite of their size, however; classic styling and premium quality remain as the driving force behind each and every hat. As a result, Stetson hats are the most well known hats in the world. Wherever and whenever hats are discussed, Stetson will be recognized with distinction.

Stetson is the standard in hats, the essence of the spirit of the West and an icon of everyday American lifestyle. Because of its authentic American heritage, Stetson remains a vivid part of history and, for the same reason, will continue to excel in the future.

Stetson, it's not just a hat, it's The hat.

Cowboy Hats in History - Military Hats

By the 1880s, the field uniform had finally adapted to the conditions of the West, and the soldiers liked it and wore it. Officers wore standard issue hats and uniforms, but they could be modified in any number of interesting ways. Enlisted men also wore standard issue uniforms, which could be modifed as needed in the field.

It is important to realize that the military hat and uniform in the early period would be worn as issued in garrison; but field dress, of necessity, was a good bit more casual. Soldiers frequently wore civilian purchased hats, shirts, and neckerchiefs. The uniform blouse, more often than not, was carried rolled up at the saddle. Buckskins were quite common, and when a hole needed to be patched, white canvas tended to be the only thing they had. Much of the time, in the field, the only way you knew who was who, officer or enlisted, was by personal knowledge, not by the hat or uniform. Uniform issue was spotty at best in garrison, and pretty much non-existent in the field. If something wore out on campaign, it had to be replaced with whatever could be scrounged or made on the spot.

The last Apache campaign was in 1885-1886. Hired civilian US Army Scouts wore their normal clothing. Many wore buckskins, and their favorite cowboy hat. One frontier scout's hat of choice may be a felt Mexican type with silken cords around the crown, and silver bullion embroidery along the brim and crown. Another frontiersman scout may sport a wide brim hat similar to a plantation hat, a common style of the period.