Why is this Fedora so expensive?

[James Patterson]

https://www.therake.com/lock-and-co...ora.html?utm_source=criteo&utm_medium=display

Is it a rare material? Can someone please explain?

Thanks

 

[breakaway01]

For starters I suppose that beaver fur, mink, and silk are relatively expensive materials. Whether the price is justified depends, in the end, on whether there are buyers willing to pay that price.

 

[Shawl Lapel]

Construction, material, the name. I presume quality hats aren't churned out on machines so there's probably a fair bit of labor in the cost as well.

 

[James Patterson]

Construction, material, the name. I presume quality hats aren't churned out on machines so there's probably a fair bit of labor in the cost as well.

Do you know any other hat makers that make the same quality at a more affordable price?

 

[Shawl Lapel]

Do you know any other hat makers that make the same quality at a more affordable price?

Hats aren't my area of expertise, so I can't offer any suggestions. Finding a hat without the mink and silk would probably drop the price a good amount. You might want to try The Fedora Lounge to see if they have a list of "entry level" hats.

EDIT: This PTO post might have some makers for you to look into:
http://putthison.com/hatsdouchesanddorks/

 

[maxalex]

In the 1950s a decent beaver fedora sold for $10; you can look up the old advertisements. That translates to about $100 today.

So yes—the $800 Lock hat sold by The Rake is pricey, as most everything is on that highly curated site.

Of course in 1950 no man left his home without a fedora; they were commodity items like underwear. And like underwear there existed luxury price points in hats, but someone still needed to make millions of hats that regular guys could afford.

Nowadays regular guys don’t wear fedoras, and regular companies no longer crank out millions of them. The fedora has evolved into a style statement, and often an aggressive one at that. (They are also a lot of trouble as we no longer have a hat infrastructure; good luck with your fedora on an airplane.)

The natural result of this evolution is the fedora as a talisman of luxury. I’m sure it’s a very nice hat. Don’t sit on it.

 

[johng70]

Yes, beaver and mink will add to the price. As Maxalex says the costs have gone up because you don't have economies associated with competition and larger production runs. I've found that you should never rely on price as an indicator of quality though. You have to look at the manufacturing processes used as well as materials. Stetson still makes beaver fedoras. Biltmor is another manufacturer that makes some of their hats in the U.S. still. I would be cautious of buying a fedora unless and until you've tried them on in person - The same hat style looks different on 2 different people. And, especially when you're looking to spend hundreds of dollars on a hat, buying sight unseen is a bad idea. One final word - a fur fedora has a high degree of formality. If you're not wearing an overcoat, it should really only be worn with a suit and tie. It's not the type of hat you wear with casual attire.

 

[toplel]

I didn't realize I had something so valuable sitting utterly forgotten in my closet. I'm going to check it's condition!

 

[Loki1254]

Don't forget that Lock & Co. is more than 300 years old, can claim illustrious clients like Winston Churchill, and occupies some of the most expensive retail space on the planet, in St. James's, London. You are paying for all of this. I own a nice Borsalino fedora, which cost me about $200 - no mink in it - and Stetson and Akubra also make good hats.

 

[Pete E]

I would hazard a guess that about 75% of the cost is for the name...Christy's are another very old British hat maker, but their prices are usually a bit more affordable although still far from "cheap"..

From my own limited experience for similar/comparable caps, the build quality is about the same...