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Custom Cowboy Hats

by Jason Gluckman

Art and skill go into the manufacture of hats. Hatters have to keep in mind the weather conditions of a particular area while designing headgear. This explains the regional differences in cowboy hats that come in a variety of colors, textures and patterns.

The American Hat Company in Houston, Texas, has been in the business of fitting and molding cowboy hats, both straw and felt, for almost a century. Established in 1915, the company can count among its clients, greats like George H Bush Sr., Rick Perry, Dusty Hill, Lyle Lovett, Dennis Weaver, Shaquille O'Neal and Craig Biggio among others.

Montana Mad Hatters fashion hats for working cowboys. Cattle ranchers are hard to please, as they know exactly how they want their hats to fit and feel. This is incentive enough to strive for perfection.

The Jackson Hole Hat Company, established in 1983, revived styles of the past that had gone into oblivion. The Jackson Hole Retail Store has its headquarters at Wyoming. Hats come in 24 colors and have 15 styles. As many of the employees grew up and worked on cattle ranches, their input is invaluable to the manufacturers to meet the exacting standards of the average cattle rancher. Beaver cowboy hats are their specialty.

John Batterson Stetson was born into a family of hatters. Durability was the hallmark of his products. In 1865, he produced the "Boss of the Plains" hat. It came in a choice of colors and weighed two ounces. It was popular because it could be molded into any shape the wearer desired. The company later preshaped hats and brought out styles like the Bronco, Dakota, Austin, Roundup, Big Four, Carp, Carlsbad and Calgary, to name a few.

The Ten Gallon hat, invented in 1865, was more popular on-screen than off it, probably because the average cowboy didn't see the practicality of it. When a hat is bought, the salesperson steams and shapes it to best suit the individual. On an average a hat could cost anything between 14 to 35 dollars, making a huge dent in a cowboy's salary.

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