After Berlin, London, Frankfurt, and Hamburg, the American Stetson hat brand opened their first UK flagship store in London. This new Stetson store opened its doors on the 15th of March in the heart of London’s West End area.

The West End of London (commonly referred to as the West End) is a district of Central London, west of the City of London and north of the River Thames, in which many of the city’s major tourist attractions, shops, businesses, government buildings, and entertainment venues, including West End theatres, are concentrated.

The Start Of The Stetson Brand

In 1830, John Batterson Stetson was born in East Orange, New Jersey. His father, Stephen Stetson was a successful hatter who ran the No Name Hat Company. The company was known for its superior quality hats and John B. learned the trade as a child. One of thirteen siblings, however, John B. was not likely to inherit the business.

In 1865, John B. Stetson’s unsuccessful search for gold resulted in his idea to start hat manufacturing upon his return to Philadelphia in 1865. With only $60 loaned to him by his older sister Louisa, he purchased tools and fur, rented a small room, and took on two workers. To differentiate his products from the competition, he sent a “Boss of the Plains” hat to each South-Western dealer with a letter asking for an order of a dozen. By the early twentieth century, Stetson owned the world’s largest hat factory.

In 1877, the first orders from overseas arrived. In 1899, about 2800 retailers throughout America were selling Stetson hats. The company employed close to 1200 workers. 50,000 dozen hats were produced that year. Notable people who wore Stetson hats in the late nineteenth, and early twentieth centuries included Colonel William F. Cody “Buffalo Bill”, Calamity Jane, Will Rogers, and Annie Oakley.

Learn more about the Stetson brand in the video here below.

About The London Store

The Stetson store in London is situated within Seven Dials on Covent Garden’s Neal Street. This new 1,165 sq. ft space showcases a wide range of the brand’s signature styles from outdoor lifestyle and authentic Western hats to timeless classics and streetwear styles, for both men and women.

The thoughtfully designed store pays homage to Stetson’s roots taking inspiration from ‘The Great Outdoors‘ with elevated details reflecting the brand’s heritage.