Our story begins in 1897 in the village of Sagliano Micca in the Cervo valley, not far from Biella.
This area has been famous since the 18th century for its fine handcrafting of felt hats,
an art handed down through generations of master hat makers and specialist artisans.
Our factory, one of the first hat-making cooperatives, has produced millions of hats in every style and colour,
which are exported and admired all over the world.
Over time it added straw hats, panamas, fabric hats and one-off haute couture pieces for fashion and film.
It is also the birthplace of the official headgear of the Alpini military troops,
under the brand name Bantam: symbol and pride of every Alpino soldier; and the Barbisio hat,
made famous by the catchphrase “Barbisio, a name, a brand, a guarantee”.
Today we are one of the few factories in the world that still carries out the entire production process in-house.
Our extensive know-how means we can make a hat using a precise wet felting process and pressing onto the chosen block, using heat and without the need for stitching.
With more than a thousand wooden and aluminium hat blocks and nearly 400 colour recipes, our archive is a source of inspiration for the renewal of traditional hat making with contemporary style.
Thanks to the digitalisation of our archive, the history of our company is now shared on the Archivi Tessili Biellesi portal, available to anyone wishing to learn more about this important part of Biella’s industrial heritage.
Wearing one of our hats brings all the excitement of a Made in Italy accessory that’s packed with history and character.
