The American
West was booming and Los Angeles was leading the charge. A population
explosion was underway and, due to the proliferation of cattle
ranches, farms, orchards, mines, oil fields and, of course, movies.
Southern California’s economy was growing at a breakneck pace. Los
Angeles-based film studios, accounted for nearly one-fifth of
California’s annual manufacturing business in the early 20’s and
it was there that George Bailey would start his business. He catered
directly to the needs of the ‘New West’ outfitting southern
California ranchers, businessmen, oil tycoons and, the newest segment
of the population, movie stars, with ‘the best hat possible’.
His dedication and diligence to his craft quickly made the Bailey name
known throughout Los Angeles. It wasn’t long before he was
fashioning chapeaus for all the major studios and A-List celebrities
such as Humphrey Bogart, Cary Grant, Bing Crosby and Gary Cooper, thus
cementing his reputation as Hollywood’s premiere milliner. Many of
Bailey Hat Company’s current offerings still use the same blocks as
they did when originally designed for the Hollywood elite.
Throughout its 87-year history, the Bailey Hat Company has earned an
exceptional reputation by continually providing its customers with
unparalleled quality and craftsmanship, as well as sophisticated
industry-leading designs. The Bailey Hat Company divides into two
divisions today: the Bailey of Hollywood line is well-known for their
modern interpretation on classic men’s hat tailoring, and Bailey
Western is a collection of original and authentic Western headwear
with an eye for industry leading product.
Recently,
Bailey Hat Co. has developed into Bollman Hat Company, which also
incorporates the Renegade Headwear and Eddy Brothers hat
company.
