Made in the USA.
There are over 200 steps that go into making every fur-felt Resistol hat. And everyone of those steps happens in the USA. Resistol is the only company in the United States that takes raw fur and turns it into a finished hat. We start with rabbit, beaver, and wild hare's fur sourced from all over the world and bring it down to Longview Texas where we go through a multi-step rigorous process of cleaning and mixing the fur.making the felt.
After being cleaned and mixed, our fur blends are blown into the forming chamber where the thin fur fibers felt together. A thin burlap cloth is placed around the felt where it will go through additional steps to continue the felting process.
Through the felting process, the hat bodies shrink to 1/3 their size. Each Resistol fur-felt hat gets dyed, sanded, stretched, and blocked before being sent to our finishing plant in Garland Texas.
finishing the felt
Starting the Hat
Hat bodies don't sit around for very long once they get to Garland. Their first stop is at steam block where they get a specific size from 6 3/4 - 7 3/4. After steam block we apply shellac to the hats which stiffens them.
the heat is on
By applying heat and steady pressure, Resistol prepares the hats for one of the most important steps in their journey to becoming a Resistol.
pouncing and sanding
Hats go through multiple rounds of sanding and pouncing to give Resistol its smooth velvety finish.. Many of the machines in the Resistol factory are original. The same machines that built your grandfather's Resistol, also made yours!
taking shape
After the felt has been sanded to a smooth finish it goes to get pressed into its final shape. Resistol offers a number of different shapes. From pre-creased cattleman crowns to every working cowboy's favorite shape; the open crown.