What Borsalino is known for
Italian felt-hat maker founded by Giuseppe Borsalino in Alessandria in 1857; won the Grand Prix at the 1900 Paris Exposition and grew to a 300-hatmaker factory by 1888, still producing in Alessandria today.
Giuseppe Borsalino opened a small hat workshop in Alessandria on April 4, 1857, applying felt-making skills learned during a Paris apprenticeship, and formally launched Borsalino Giuseppe & Fratello with his brother Lazzaro in a courtyard on Via Schiavina. In 1870 he developed a soft, high-crowned felt hat with a front indentation that became the template for 20th-century men's formal hats. The business earned a top medal at the 1868 Turin Exposition and moved to a larger, purpose-built factory on Corso Cento Cannoni in 1888, spanning 2,000 square meters and employing 300 hatmakers producing around 2,000 hats a day. It won the Grand Prix at the 1900 Paris Exposition Universelle. The company has changed ownership several times in the past two decades but continues to manufacture in Alessandria.
Best for — Fur-felt fedoras and panama classics.
Made in Alessandria, Italy, since 1857.
Where next
- Pacha Textiles — Peru
- Diefenthal 1905 — Cologne
- La Cerise sur le Chapeau — Paris
Hand-curated for ORBIS · no paid placement