The story of a Swedish hat campaign that was doomed to fail.

In the 1940s, the Swedish hat industry flourished, and never before had so many hats been made in the country. As an example, it can be noted that at the Karlskrona Hat Factory—perhaps our most famous hat producer—around 400,000 hats were produced annually at this time, a somewhat unreal figure by today’s standards.

But this would soon change faster than anyone could have imagined. Men’s fashion was increasingly moving towards "the hatless fashion," as it was called back then. Young people no longer wore headwear to the same extent, which of course concerned not only hat manufacturers but also the men’s fashion industry as a whole.

This also coincided with rising raw material prices. In the 1950s, rabbit plague was deliberately introduced to Europe to curb a growing wild rabbit population that had been increasingly affecting crops across Central Europe. An effect of this was that rabbit fur—vital for hat manufacturers across Europe—suddenly became a scarce commodity.

The hat was now an accessory that fewer and fewer Swedish men were interested in—but it was simultaneously becoming more expensive. A difficult challenge for the country's hat sellers, and sales figures continued to decline steadily.

At this time, there was something called the Hat Committee, which was part of the Stockholm Men’s Clothing Association, and they worked to maintain the hat's position as an essential accessory in men’s wardrobes. By 1955, the situation had become so serious that action had to be taken. They then created "Men’s Hat Week," which was to take place annually at the beginning of October. The country’s gentlemen’s outfitter shops were urged to focus on hats during this week, including special displays and concentrating their advertising primarily around hats. Every campaign needs a slogan—so did this one. "Wear a hat – be well-dressed," a short and concise call to action, was printed in all possible forms and could be seen all over the place during the campaign week. For example, the slogan was printed on small cards placed in restaurants, train compartments, and all conceivable locations.

However, they realized that this alone would not be enough to reverse the prevailing negative trend. The sharpest weapon in fighting the hatless fashion was ultimately considered to be a knowledgeable sales assistant, which is why they focused on creating something resembling a hat sales guide for the country’s hat retailers. In the magazine HERR (the leading menswear industry magazine in Sweden), the following could be read in issue 9, 1955:

The Hat Salesman Is The Key Figure

One of the most important aids in combating the hatless fashion is to create good salespeople who can truly stimulate the customer to buy a hat. At the hat counter, expertise and experience are required, but unfortunately, it is all too common for the youngest person in the store to be placed there without prior instruction. In many cases, shop owners and hat salespeople have neglected hat sales, and therefore, the shops that pay a little more attention to their hats have an extra opportunity to make a good sale. But even the salesperson who acquires knowledge about quality, models, and so on, through study and interest, has great opportunities to achieve personal success. He often becomes the only available authority and is respected accordingly.

"Manager W. Hamnstedt demonstrates how to properly show a hat. Hold it freely; it will then appear more flattering, and always observe the customer’s reaction throughout."

What is most important in a hat department is that the hats are fresh and well-presented. Handing a dusty hat to a customer leaves a poor impression. A good habit is to go through and brush the entire stock every week and to take an extra moment to tidy up each hat before it is handed to the customer. Do not use too harsh a brush, as it will ruin the finish that the manufacturer has worked so hard to create. Always brush in the direction of the hairs, otherwise, they will be damaged unnecessarily. Wrinkled, creased ribbons look unappealing, so make sure to keep them neat. In order to sell an item, one must also know it well. When it comes to hats, the salesperson should at least be familiar with the thirty-four manufacturing steps in general, so they can speak with sufficient authority to the customer.

Presentation Is Key

Questions like "What size would you like?" and "What colour is the gentleman considering?" are usually unnecessary. While it’s important to figure out what the customer is looking for, you can build trust early by quickly finding a hat that fits. If the customer brings an old hat with them, it should be swiftly and discreetly examined for size, type, etc. A Swedish man is generally quite conservative in his choice of hat. Additionally, it is not too difficult to develop a sense for the right size in each specific case. For beginners, it can be helpful to know that sizes 57-58 are common.

"Shape the hat with elegant, precise movements. If the handling appears practiced, it will increase the customer’s trust."

One should not assert that a particular method must be used when shaping a hat, but the procedure must look elegant and simple. The customer will immediately form a good impression if the hat is handled with skill and firmness during the presentation. Take an old hat and practice the movements—it's an effort that pays off. How the hat is then handed over also matters. It should be presented in a way that makes it easy for the customer to take it and put it on their head. If it’s an elegant hat, it’s a good idea to show the lining, as experience suggests that customers often want to see inside the hat.


"Hand the hat over in a way that’s comfortable for the customer, and take the opportunity to show an elegant lining, a well-known brand, etc."

When the customer tries on the hat, the salesperson should constantly pay attention to how the hat fits—the size, the model, etc. A cardinal error is to pull out one hat after another and say "Here’s one, and here’s another…" without following the customer’s trial. In the end, the customer gets confused and can’t make sense of what they’re seeing. So, don’t show too many hats; it’s better to focus. The Americans say you shouldn’t show more than three hats, and if you haven’t succeeded in selling one of these, take the fourth with loving hands and say, "Here we have something really special, this is exactly the hat my gentleman is looking for." If that one doesn’t fit either, then the salesperson still has much to learn.


 

So did this have any effect on hat sales in Sweden?
The short answer is—no. One should bear in mind that, at this time, the decline of the hat was still seen as a temporary fashion swing. Uplifting articles often appeared in the menswear industry magazines, predicting the return of the hat in the following season. Probably, the Committee didn’t initially realize the difficulty of the task, to say the least, its impossibility.

The "Wear a Hat" campaign continued for a few years without noticeable effects, and finally, after Hat Week in 1959, the following somewhat resigned text was published in the aforementioned industry magazine HERR:

"This year's Hat Week didn’t make much of a fuss—at least not in Stockholm.
Stockholmers went bareheaded as usual, and no significant efforts to change their habits on this point could be seen in the shop windows."

Perhaps by this time, it had become clear even for the Hat Committee that the hat’s fate was sealed, and that its position as an essential men's accessory for the average Swedish man was over.