International Hat Company

International Hat Company

Company type	Private (1917–1978), Subsidiary (1978–1989)
Industry	Headwear manufacturing
Predecessor	International Harvest Hat Company
Founded	August 17, 1917 (1917-08-17) in St. Louis, Missouri, United States
Founder	Isaac Apple
Defunct	1989
Fate	Acquired by Interco, Inc. in 1978; sold to Paramount Cap Company in 1989; ceased operations thereafter
Headquarters	St. Louis (initially), later New York City , United States
Area served	United States, international military contracts
Key people	Isaac Apple (founder), George Tilles, Jr. (president and chairman), Frank P. Pellegrino (president and chairman), Jean S. Goodson (president)
Products	Commercial headwear including harvest hats, straw hats, military sun helmets, baseball caps, earmuffs, plastic helmets and sun hats
Number of employees	Over 1,500 (at peak in 1950s–1960s)
Parent	Interco, Inc. (1978–1989)

International Hat Company, originally known as the International Harvest Hat Company, was a manufacturer based in St. Louis, Missouri, specializing in commercial headwear and military helmets. It stood among the largest hat producers in the United States and was once recognized as the leading global manufacturer of harvest hats. The firm gained prominence for designing and mass-producing tropical pressed fiber military sun helmets supplied to the U.S. Army, Navy, and Marine Corps during and following World War II. Throughout much of the twentieth century, its product range included harvest hats, straw hats, fiber sun hats, enameled dress hats, baseball caps, and earmuffs. Military sun helmets crafted by the company have since become sought-after collectibles.

Established in 1917 as a privately held corporation, International Hat initially focused on manufacturing harvest straw hats. By the late 1930s, the company had diversified into producing fiber-pressed sun hats and leather harvest hats. During World War II, it developed multiple military sun helmet variants, featuring models with basic ventilation systems. After the war, the company transitioned toward plastic injection molding techniques. In the 1950s, its subsidiary General Fibre Company was renamed General Moulding Company to better represent this technological shift. By the 1960s, production concentrated on baseball caps, straw hats, earmuffs, plastic helmets, and plastic sun hats. The company frequently established manufacturing plants in small rural towns, becoming significant local employers and economic contributors. Additionally, it contributed land or equipment to develop municipal parks adjacent to some facilities for the benefit of workers and surrounding communities.

After operating independently for 61 years, International Hat was acquired in 1978 by Interco, Inc., under which it functioned as a subsidiary. Facing a hostile takeover attempt against Interco in 1988, International Hat was divested in 1989 to Paramount Cap Company as part of Interco's debt restructuring plan. Interco filed for bankruptcy in 1991 after divesting most of its subsidiaries. Although International Hat ceased operations, several original manufacturing plants continue to operate under other Southeastern Missouri hat companies. One former International Hat warehouse located in Soulard, St. Louis—used by the company from 1954 until 1976—is listed on the National Register of Historic Places and currently functions as a residential facility for seniors and disabled individuals.

Initial location and early development

The company was established by Isaac Apple on August 17, 1917, under the name International Harvest Hat Company. The incorporation involved the Apple and Tilles families from St. Louis during the period of World War I. Prior to this venture, the Apple family had founded Apple Hat Company in Fort Smith, Arkansas. Among those instrumental in founding was George Tilles, Sr., whose sister Hannah was married to Isaac Apple. Operational control rested with Apple himself, while minority stakeholders included Alexander E. Rosenthal, Harry J. Talbot, and John C. Talbot. Rosenthal served as the inaugural general manager but was arrested in 1918 on charges of embezzlement linked to unauthorized sales.

Initially concentrating on commercial harvest straw hat production, International Harvest Hat sought to compete with established manufacturing centers located in Connecticut, New York, and New Jersey. By 1910, St. Louis had emerged as a key hub for hat manufacturing during the Second Industrial Revolution, ranking fifth nationwide in fur felt hat production. The company entered the market during a peak era when more than 42 million hats were produced annually across the United States, capitalizing on favorable economic conditions as America ascended to become the world’s leading economic power by 1916.

During the 1920s, St. Louis overtook New England as the primary center for harvest hat manufacturing; International Harvest Hat became the largest global producer. In 1928 alone, it manufactured over 36,000 hats daily—amounting to roughly 9.4 million annually.

With evolving fashion trends influenced by automobile culture during the 1930s, the company broadened its product line to include men’s straw dress hats in 1931 and rebranded itself as International Hat Company in 1938 to reflect this diversification. In 1940, it commenced production of military sun helmets for U.S. armed forces in response to wartime requirements.

Following Isaac Apple’s passing in 1935, his nephew George Tilles, Jr., assumed presidency until 1956 and served as chairman until his death in 1958. Under Tilles’ stewardship throughout the Great Depression and World War II periods, company facilities expanded from an initial size of 5,000 square feet to approximately 150,000 square feet. Operations grew to include warehouses; buying offices located in Mexico; a sales office based in New York City; and imports sourced from twelve countries by 1942.

Expansion into new markets

Following the conclusion of World War II, the International Hat Company embarked on a strategy of growth by entering new markets, establishing additional manufacturing sites, and broadening its product range. Under the leadership of George Tilles, Jr., Frank P. Pellegrino held the position of vice president before ascending to president from 1956 until 1971, subsequently serving as chairman until 1975. Tilles entrusted Pellegrino with launching a second production facility. In 1946, this new plant commenced operations in Oran, Missouri, where it quickly became the largest employer in the city.

Pellegrino expanded International Hat’s workforce to more than 1,500 employees distributed across six factories within the United States. Throughout the 1950s and 1960s, the company extended its footprint beyond St. Louis to five additional factories located in Southeast Missouri—some essentially forming single-industry towns—as well as a sixth facility in Texas. To reflect its growing national presence, the company relocated its headquarters from St. Louis to New York City. While continuing to manufacture military helmets and straw hats, International Hat also ventured into producing plastic hats and helmets, embracing this lighter material that allowed for greater automation and replaced traditional press fiber. During the 1960s, the firm increasingly focused on the baseball cap segment. In 1967, it initiated its inaugural consumer advertising campaign through the agency Stemmler, Bartram, Fisher & Payne to enhance retail visibility. The 1970s saw further diversification with entry into winter accessories by marketing earmuffs produced by VIP Industries.

This era under Pellegrino’s guidance represented a peak period for International Hat in terms of organizational scale, operational output, and financial performance.

Decline, sale, and liquidation

Jean S. Goodson assumed the presidency of International Hat in 1971 following Pellegrino’s retirement; Pellegrino remained chairman until his passing in 1975. Goodson curtailed import activities managed from the New York office and reduced dress hat production to concentrate on other product categories. Due to dissatisfaction with company results, the board appointed Frank G. Pellegrino, Sr.—a minority shareholder and son of Frank P. Pellegrino—to oversee a potential sale. At that time president of General Moulding Company (a subsidiary specializing in plastic mold manufacturing for hats and helmets), Pellegrino orchestrated negotiations leading to a sale agreement with Interco, Incorporated—a diversified conglomerate engaged in furniture, apparel, and footwear (later known as Furniture Brands International). On March 31, 1978, shareholders approved Interco’s acquisition offer, which involved exchanging International Hat shares for 166,667 shares of Interco common stock. Goodson continued serving on Interco’s board until his retirement in 1985.

International Hat operated as a subsidiary under Interco until June 14, 1989. Despite experiencing peak domestic hat sales during the 1970s, mounting competition from international imports—particularly originating from Brazil, Spain, Taiwan, and China—gradually eroded its market share. By 1989, imports from China constituted nearly one-third (31%) of U.S. hat sales. Although overall demand increased during this period, U.S.-based manufacturers saw their market share decline from 27.1% to 22.2% between 1984 and 1989.

A decisive factor contributing to decline was Interco’s response to a hostile takeover attempt in 1988 by Steven and Mitchell Rales through Cardinal Acquisition Corporation, which proposed a $2.5 billion bid. To counter this threat, Interco’s board incurred approximately $1.95 billion in debt to repurchase shares and engaged Goldman Sachs for corporate restructuring advice; plans included divesting 16 out of its 20 subsidiaries. While this strategy successfully prevented the takeover, the substantial debt burden proved unsustainable. Between 1989 and 1991, Interco sold off all shoe and apparel units to maintain solvency. Although many subsidiaries were profitable prior to liquidation efforts, Interco was unable to fully capitalize on their asset values due to debt primarily raised via high-yield junk bonds.

Ultimately, this combination of excessive leverage—exceeding $2 billion—and extensive asset disposals resulted in severe negative cash flow and led to Interco’s bankruptcy filing in 1991. Consequently, despite remaining profitable within Interco’s portfolio, International Hat was sold off rapidly in a fire sale transaction to Paramount Cap Company in 1989.

Successors

After the liquidation sale, the manufacturing facilities located in Dexter, Marble Hill, and Oran were acquired by Paramount Cap Company and resumed operations in May 1989. The Dexter site ceased operations in 2000 but was subsequently purchased by Venture Products, Inc., which reopened the plant in 2001. The Oran facility was transferred to Carr Textile Corporation, later becoming part of Venture Products, Inc., and continues to operate, specializing in the production of straw hats.

Products

Over its eighty-three-year history, International Hat manufactured a diverse range of items, with its most distinguished product being the fiber-pressed military sun helmets supplied to the US armed forces during World War II. These helmets remained in service approximately a decade longer than the M1 steel helmet, ranking among the longest-utilized helmets in US military history. During World War II, International Hat was one of two principal government contractors for these helmets, alongside Hawley Products Company. Combined, they produced more than 100,000 helmets for deployment across both the European and Pacific theaters.

The United States Marine Corps employed International Hat’s sun helmet for both combat and training purposes; it was initially issued to the 1st Marine Division during its 1941 assignment to Guantánamo Bay, Cuba. Nicknamed the "elephant hat," this helmet remains an emblematic item for Marine marksmanship instructors.

Although introduced prior to the M1 steel helmet, International Hat’s pressed fiber helmet continued to be utilized throughout the Korean War and Vietnam War. By the time of the Gulf War, its use had been restricted primarily to select US Navy personnel.

Military logistics documentation provides detailed records of stock numbers, order dates, and quantities produced. The US Army commissioned a total of 38,423 helmets from International Hat during and following World War II.

Product Stock Number	Product Type	Order Date	Quantity Delivered By
Army W-699	Fiber Military Helmet	February 10, 1942	15,878
Army PO	Fiber Military Helmet	May 1942	10,989
Army W-30	Fiber Military Helmet	1946	11,875

Legal issues

International Hat encountered multiple labor-related legal challenges within the United States judiciary and took active measures to minimize litigation risks. In 1934, Frank P. Pellegrino represented the corporation at a hearing concerning the US Hat Manufacturing Code held in Washington, D.C., with the goal of modernizing manufacturing and labor standards to lessen governmental oversight during the New Deal period. The company’s labor disputes mainly involved interactions with the National Labor Relations Board and efforts toward unionization. Despite repeated campaigns by employees to unionize under the United Hatters, Cap, and Millinery Workers International, an AFL–CIO affiliate representing approximately 20,000 workers in hat manufacturing, International Hat staff never successfully established a union.

Attempts at unionization were consistently met with resistance within company culture. In 1976, workers at the Oran plant voted against joining the Retail Clerks Union. In 1985, the National Labor Relations Board found against International Hat for purported violations of sections of the National Labor Relations Act. The company faced allegations of infringing upon Tex Barnes' rights—a cutter at the Piedmont, Missouri facility—to organize union activities. Barnes spearheaded certification efforts beginning in April 1980 and participated on the union’s negotiation committee. Nonetheless, employee ballots repeatedly opposed unionization efforts, culminating in formal decertification on March 4, 1982. Nine months later, Barnes filed an unfair labor practice complaint. Although initially ruled in his favor by the National Labor Relations Board, this judgment was subsequently overturned and remanded by the Eighth Circuit Court of Appeals.

Philanthropy

Under the leadership of President and Chairman Pellegrino, International Hat made significant contributions to community welfare, notably by creating two public parks. Following the passing of his business partner and former company president, Pellegrino provided both land and financial support for the establishment of the George Tilles Jr. Memorial Park in Oran. In 1968, he initiated the development of a new park in Marble Hill, MO, which was dedicated as Maria Pellegrino Park in honor of his mother and officially opened on June 2, 1972. The event was commemorated as "Pellegrino Appreciation Day" by the city's Mayor. Additionally, International Hat financed the construction of a large pavilion situated within Pellegrino Park.

The corporation also contributed hats to various American volunteer groups, including a donation of 4,764 hats for the 1981 national convention of the Girl Scouts of the USA and 200 custom-designed spring hats for women attending the 1989 General Federation of Women's Clubs convention.

Legacy

Military fiber sun helmets produced by International Hat during World War II, particularly those featuring the USMC emblem, have become highly prized by collectors specializing in military uniforms.

Facilities

At its height, International Hat maintained seven manufacturing plants across the United States, multiple warehouses, international sourcing offices, and a sales office located in New York. One prominent warehouse in Soulard, St. Louis—originally constructed in 1904 by architect Albert B. Groves for the Brown Shoe Company—was repurposed by International Hat as a storage facility from 1954 until 1976. This building is notable for its early 20th-century industrial architectural style.

The company’s initial headquarters at 711 Lucas Avenue operated from 1917 to 1928, focusing on producing straw harvest hats and becoming the world’s largest manufacturer of these products at that location. In 1928, International Hat acquired a five-story building at 2528 Texas Avenue encompassing 87,000 square feet. This site manufactured straw hats and military sun helmets during and following World War II. In 2016, this facility was purchased by DeSales Community Development and St. Louis Makes—nonprofit organizations that transformed it into Brick City Makes, an innovative nonprofit incubator supporting manufacturing entrepreneurs.

Six factories were established within Missouri—in Chaffee, Dexter, Marble Hill, Piedmont, Oran—and one additional plant was located in Texas. The largest factory served as company headquarters from 1928 through the 1960s. The Oran facility, constructed in 1946 with expansions added in 1948 and 1968, ceased operations in 1984. The Chaffee plant opened in 1980 but closed just a year later; it was managed by Florsheim Shoe Company, another subsidiary under Interco. Marble Hill’s factory underwent expansion in 1972 and employed approximately 300 workers at its peak. The Dexter location operated from its inception in 1959 until it shut down in 1989.

Presidents

• Isaac Apple (1917–1935)
• George Tilles, Jr. (1935–1956)
• Frank P. Pellegrino (1956–1971)
• Jean S. Goodson (1971–1978)

See also

• Jesse Hawley
• Hawley Products Company
• Furniture Brands International
• National Register of Historic Places listings in Soulard
• List of United States Army military equipment of World War II
• List of World War II uniforms and clothing

External links

• "The Development of the American Pressed Fiber Helmet," authored by helmet specialists Peter Suciu and Stuart Bates
• Patent for the Harvest Hat
• Historic International Hat Building. Listed on the National Register of Historic Places