New life for classic Italian hat-maker

SPINETTA MARENGO, Italy — Hats off, Bogie.

The traditional Italian hat-maker Borsalino, whose fedora has defined the rough-and-tumble images of Robert Redford, Frank Sinatra and Humphrey Bogart, has a plan to appeal more to women and millennials by pushing into highend fashion, streetwear and even sportswear.

The 162-year-old hatmaker, arguably Italy’s oldest fashion brand, was founded in the northwestern Italian city of Alessandria by Giuseppe Borsalino, whose family sold control decades ago. By the time the Swiss-Italian private equity firm Haeres Equita was approached about investing in 2015, the company had been mismanaged and bled dry by the previous owner.

“What surprised me at the time is that Borsalino was profitable,” said Philippe Camperio, Haeres Equita’s principal. “It was very small. I thought there would be a much bigger company in terms of revenues, given the power of the brand.”

To relaunch Borsalino, Camperio has brought in a team of fashion experts, including former Gucci CEO Giacomo Santucci.

The goal is to increase annual production from 150,000 hats to 500,000 in five years — still far from the 2 million Borsalino churned out every year during its postwar heyday, when men regularly wore hats.

“Borsalino should be the leader of the hat business,” Santucci said. “The power of the brand is going to stay forever.”

AP PHOTOS MASS APPEAL: A woman tries on one of many hats on display at a Borsalino shop in downtown Milan, Italy. The hat-maker is taking steps to add a couture cachet to its venerable and distinctive brand.

HOT STUFF: A woman works on a hat at the Borsalino factory in Spinetta Marengo, Italy. The company’s classic handcrafted men’s hats became icons of 20thcentury Hollywood style.