  
Stetson Western Cowboy Hats
"Today's cowboy hat has remained basically unchanged in construction and design since the first one was created in 1865 by J.B. Stetson", Wikipedia. Nothing says American West as the iconic Stetson Cowboy hat. Stetson cowboy hats are the gold standard in the horse world. Stetson is a brand of cowboy hat manufactured by John B. Stetson Company. John B. Stetson designed his famous hats from inspirations when he headed out west from where he was raised in New Jersey. In 1865, he founded the John B. Stetson Company in Philadelphia which became iconic of the cowboy today.
The Stetson is hat that is symbolic of the pioneering of America and the American West. His most famous design is called the "Boss of the Plains" and back then this Western hat was the cornerstone of Stetson's hat business that other hats were produced and evolved from. Stetson produced dress style hats that are distinguished from western hats because of the narrower brims and shorter crowns. We call then Gentleman cowboy hats. The Stetson "Boss of the Plains" style hat shown in the image above has so many variants today. The Boss hat is still in production today.
Stetson undoubtedly is the world's largest cowboy hat maker and Stetson CO makes over 3,300,000 hats a year in a factory spread over 9 acres in Philadelphia USA. Both the Stetson University and the Stetson University College of Law in Florida are named after John Stetson for his contributions to the school.
The Stetson history is interesting as we Tack Warehouse have been dealers. Stetson went on to sell to stores when he sent a sample cowboy hat to retailers in the Southwest requiring a minimum dozen "Boss of the Plains" hats to order. Less than a year John Stetson had set up a new factory of Philadelphia to handle his growing business. By 1886, Stetson's hat company was the largest globally and he went on to mechanize the hat-making industry. John was producing close to 2 million hats a year by 1906 which is amazing. However the Stetson Hat Co. ceased production in 1968 and sold their license to another hat company but these hats still bear the Stetson name. However they were produced in St. Joseph, Missouri; then Later, the license was sold to another hat company in Texas.
Stetson also produced women's cowgirl hats. Stetson was operating a millinery department from the 1930s to 1950s and hat sales suffered during the Depression years. Stetson closed its Philadelphia factory in 1971 and continuing in the hat business through licensing arrangements with several manufacturers. In the US demand for western style cowboy hats spiked during the 1980s after the success of Indiana Jones and John Travolta Urban Cowboy movies. Both western and dress hats continue to be popular men's hats and we see a spike in popularity in main stream with the Yellowstone series.
Stetson hat company is the standard for cowboy hats in todyas world and it is the essence of the spirit of the West. Today the Stetson isan icon of the everyday American Cowboy lifestyle. Stetson it's not just a hat, Stetson THE brand of hat to wear if you are a true American cowboy.
Tack Warehouse carries Steston Hats. This is the gold standard cowboy hat because of the quality, shape and material of the hat. Cowboy hats come in a variety of colors from silverbelly to black being the most important . The brim sizes tend to ranging from 4 3/4" to 5 1/2". Still today Tack Warehouse sells mainly the cowboy crown to cutters and people showing. But the cowboy hat and brim heights vary according to event so Rodeo guys tend to wear a bigger brim and taller crown as compared to the western pleasure show people. Cutters also wear a block style front. There is the every popular George Strait shape and then the Garth Brooks Gus shaped cowboy hats. The western cowboy hats come in straw which is perforated for summer riding and in felt or wool blends. The more wool or bever used the more XXX's and the more expensive the cowboy hat. Hats come with bound edge or non bound edge.
Shop Tack Warehouse for a complete selection of western cowboy hats fit for a king.
Tack Warehouse
Shop Stetson Cowboy Hats and Resistol Western Cowboy Hats. These western cowboy hats are handmade here in the U.S.A., the same way for over 150 years. We also carry Resistol Western Cowboy Hat Helmets call 530-661-0222 for more information as stock varies.
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