Alessandro Giuseppe Borsalino founded the Borsalino fashion company in 1857 and ever since then the brand name has been associated with luxury hats. Upon the founders death his son took over the company and by 1871, they were producing around 300 hats per day. Giuseppe decided to make a shift with the times and imported machines which had already changed the way hat makers worked and Borsalino was transformed from an adventure in artisan luxury fashion to an industry. By the 1880s the company expanded their business to an international level and a few decades later around half of their production was allocated to the world market.

In 1990 Giuseppe Borsalino passed away and the fashion company was left to his son Teresio who proved his ability when he increased production from 2,800 hats per day to 4,000. By the 1920s he had managed to reach a figure of 2 million of the very best fashion hats per year.

During 1911 Borsalino began collaborating with Marcello Dudovich and the brand was to become a landmark in fashion thanks to extraordinary advertising poster campaigns. Some of the very best illustrations were produced for Borsalino in those years.

The post Second World war emancipated men from wearing hats in less than a decade however by the 70s, the film Borsalino was a hit and was to mark a revival of the brand name among new generations. One of the last heirs of the family, Teresio Usuelli left the company and gave the presidency to Vittorio Vaccarino who during the 80s restructured the company and began to make a clothing line of the very best. During the early 90s Borsalino fashion was taken over by the Gallo and Monticone families who were industrialists from Asti and the company saw yet again a new lease of life.

By 1997 the luxury brand name had expanded when it took over Sabino D Oria and Sons of Lecce, a company who specialized in fashion hats in fabric and leather. The luxury company then became known as Borsalino Sud. In 1998, thanks to the growing demand in the American and Caribbean markets the company set up Borsalino America Inc. In 1999 they went in to the Oriental market and opened a factory with the name Borsalino Orient, specializing in Private label fashion hats. By 2004, they had international recognition and launched into mens fashion with the unmistakable class and elegance of Borsalino.

Today the fashion brand name is present in some of the most elegant boutiques around the world and some of the very best stores including Bergdorf & Goodman, Neiman Marcus and Sacks Fifth Avenue.

Editorial | Image Courtesy Of Borsalino