Photos: Italy’s hat maker Borsalino undergoes a revamp

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 high-end fashion, streetwear and even sportswear. After facing financial troubles, the 162-year-old company is currently in the hands of a private equity firm Haeres Equita who has has brought in a team of fashion experts to expand the appeal of a brand whose power shall stay forever.

Updated on: Feb 18, 2019 3:03 PM IST

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Hats are shown in a Borsalino store in downtown Milan, Italy. If the traditional Italian hat-maker Borsalino was once synonymous with the fedora, its new private equity owners want to imbue the brand with cachet that extends to couture, sportswear and streetwear for women and millennials -- without alienating its classic customers and the silhouette that helped shape the rough-and-tumble images of Robert Redford, Frank Sinatra and, perhaps no one more than, Humphrey Bogart. (Antonio Calanni / AP Photo)

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A hat is moulded by machinery inside the Borsalino hat factory, in Spinetta Marengo. The 162-year-old hat maker, arguably Italy’s oldest fashion brand, was founded in the northwestern Italian city of Alessandria by Giuseppe Borsalino, whose family sold control decades ago. (Antonio Calanni / AP Photo)

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Rabbit fur to be moulded into a hat sits on a table at Borsalino's hat factory, in Spinetta Marengo, near Alessandria, Italy. Its prized felt hats are handmade by 80 workers in its Piemonte factory, many who have worked there for decades, with original machinery that use hot water and steam to transform rabbit fur into highly prized felt, that is formed into clochards, dyed and molded by hand to create the latest styles. (Antonio Calanni / AP Photo)

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Steam is used to mould a fur hat in Borsalino's hat factory. The company is revamping its line-up of hats to appeal to a wider group of people, owing to the recent troubles of the company, which has been rescued financially by the Swiss-Italian private equity firm Haeres Equita. (Antonio Calanni / AP Photo)

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A woman works on a hat in Borsalino’s hat factory. Entering new markets, targeting new demographics and expanding retail presence all require cash. And even the best-laid business plan can be complicated by a company’s bad baggage, and Borsalino came with plenty of that. (Antonio Calanni / AP Photo)

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By the time 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.” (Antonio Calanni / AP Photo)

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A man holds a hat inside the Borsalino hat factory. To relaunch Borsalino, Camperio has brought in a team of fashion experts, including former Gucci CEO Giacomo Santucci. The expansion plan foresees selling more in the United States and Asia and developing new collections to appeal to younger generations and to women, two key growth markets. (Antonio Calanni / AP Photo)

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A woman worker pushes a cart with hats in Borsalino's hat factory. 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. (Antonio Calanni / AP Photo)

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A view of a label of Borsalino at its hat factory. Borsalino’s new looks include corduroy baseball caps with the Borsalino logo prominently displayed, or felt travel hats that roll up neatly. (Antonio Calanni / AP Photo)

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A woman looks at hats in a Borsalino store in downtown Milan. “Borsalino should be the leader of the hat business,” Santucci said. “The power of the brand is going to stay forever.” (Antonio Calanni / AP Photo)