Car Cap Virgin Wool Felt

In the first decade of the 20th century, this cap in streamlined shape was created in Great Britain for driving in open motor vehicles. Pure new wool is felted and formed into a stump. To make the material water repellent and strong, it is finished with a shellac solution and pulled very tightly over metal forms. Because of their suitability for everyday use, the water-repellent, firm Car Caps quickly became popular in England and became the quintessential English felt cap.

When Leonhard Mayser opened his “Hut Macherey” in Ulm in 1800, he would hardly have guessed that Mayser hats would one day be a global brand, with an annual production of 3.5 million hats in 1963 (a record output that is unsurpassed ever since). Although the production figures are far lower today, Mayser can still call itself a global brand. Based in Lindenberg in the Allgäu, the former “Small-Scale Paris” of hat fashion, Mayser sells its hats in 44 countries. Despite all the changes, the secret behind the company’s success has remained the same over more than two centuries: quality. While the design, purchasing and sales departments are still based in the Allgäu region, Mayser relocated its production in 2002. The brand runs its own manufactory in Slovakia now, staffed with personnel that was qualified in-house.