Bandera Hats, Fort Worth, Texas

[deadlyhandsome]

I couldn’t find a thread dedicated to Bandera Hats so I’m starting one now.

I couldn’t find much on the brand. It appears to be defunct. I suspect it was a regional company who either made their own hats, or more likely, contracted with a larger hat company to make hats using the Bandera name. I hope the someone out there can fill in some details.

Bandera 5X “Beaver 20”

This is a hat that I’ve been watching on ebay for maybe two months. The price never went down and it never sold. I finally messaged the seller and made an offer that was accepted. I was curious about the felt quality more than anything else.

The hat is a raw edge western with a 3” wide brim and approximately 5 3/4” crown (open). The sweatband is nice and seems to be of decent quality. The brim is stiff, but well-pounced and has a nice hand. The crown is very soft, but holds a crease well. I’d compare it favorably to a 1950s Stetson 3X. It’s much nicer than my Bradford Beaver 20. I’m adding Bandera to my “buy” list.

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[RBH]

Here is a little info DH.

And the article I screenshotted it from.

http://digital.360westmagazine.com/...view":"articleBrowser","article_id":"288415"}

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Thanks @RBH. The article states that Bandera was a subsidiary of Bailey. Bollman Hat Co., who now owns Bailey and other brands, doesn’t list Bandera amongst their brands. Bandera also isn’t mentioned in the brief company histories of either Bollman or Bailey as provided by them on their websites.

Looks to have been a small blip in the hat world.


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[BobHufford]

Some info...

1963: Note Bandera Hats address.

Same as Hatters in 1954.

1963:

2013:

http://hattershats.com/ABOUTUS.htm

995 Halbert Drive
Newark, TX 76071

@Hagwood posted this recently:

http://www.fortworthbusiness.com/ne...cle_58e94b16-0063-11e8-8758-73b6c4e969d3.html

1006 Jennings (across from the old high school) nowadays:

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Some info...

1963: Note Bandera Hats address.

View attachment 195512

Same as Hatters in 1954.

View attachment 195513

1963:

View attachment 195514

2013:
View attachment 195519

http://hattershats.com/ABOUTUS.htm

995 Halbert Drive
Newark, TX 76071

@Hagwood posted this recently:

http://www.fortworthbusiness.com/ne...cle_58e94b16-0063-11e8-8758-73b6c4e969d3.html

1006 Jennings (across from the old high school) nowadays:

View attachment 195515

Thanks, Bob.
I see the same address, but it’s odd that there isn’t a mention of Bandera (or did I miss it?).


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[BobHufford]

The 1963 text snip mentioned that they made / distributed Bandera and Donhoy hats.

 

[AbbaDatDeHat]

Brent:
Interesting observation maybe, but the size tag is reminiscent of Stetson.
Not sure that means anything but interesting i think.
B

 

[deadlyhandsome]

Brent:
Interesting observation maybe, but the size tag is reminiscent of Stetson.
Not sure that means anything but interesting i think.
B

Agreed, it has a keyhole shape that reminded me of Stetson too.


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[Rmccamey]

As Hagwood posted, there is not much at 1006 Jennings, Fort Worth, today. It seems fairly obvious that the original building is gone or seriously remodeled. That address is now considered to be in the Medical District of Fort Worth, however, it is one of the "older" parts of town and not very far from the Justin Boot factory and also the Dickies factory. It is certainly reasonable to think that a hat manufacturer, however small, would choose that area for their business in the 1940's-60's time frame.

I sent a note to Peters Brothers, also in downtown Fort Worth. We'll see if they have any insight into the old Bandera Hat Co.

Some info...

1963: Note Bandera Hats address.

View attachment 195512

Same as Hatters in 1954.

View attachment 195513

1963:

View attachment 195514

2013:
View attachment 195519

http://hattershats.com/ABOUTUS.htm

995 Halbert Drive
Newark, TX 76071

@Hagwood posted this recently:

http://www.fortworthbusiness.com/ne...cle_58e94b16-0063-11e8-8758-73b6c4e969d3.html

1006 Jennings (across from the old high school) nowadays:

View attachment 195515

 

[deadlyhandsome]

A few photos of hats found on ebay. The “Sears by Bandera” is interesting:

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[drmaxtejeda]

I have a Bandera 100. The felt is nice, but not at the level of my other One Hundreds. The sweat says One Hundred, but I don't know if it means it cost $100, or it was 100% Beaver.

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[deadlyhandsome]

I have a Bandera 100. The felt is nice, but not at the level of my other One Hundreds. The sweat says One Hundred, but I don't know if it means it cost $100, or it was 100% Beaver.

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I often generalize and associate these black leather sweatbands with more recent production hats. It’s interesting to see your 100, and you of all people are in a position to evaluate it compared to the other 100s.


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[AbbaDatDeHat]

^^^Hey....Top Ten Hundreds Max!!
B

 

[Johnny Alabama]

This is my first post. A search on Bandera hats brought me here. I was given my wife's grandfather's Bandera hat. He was from Fort Worth and had this custom made for him. I've enjoyed wearing it often.

 

[DaveProc]

 

[T Jones]

I actually happen to still be working on a Bandera, thanks to Suited Cowboy. Mine, I believe, is either late '50s - early '60s. Despite some fading and showing its age, the felt is some of the best I handled. It started out as a too small 7 1/8 OR style hat with a nice aged and worn look. I blocked it up to a 7 1/4 and I'm converting it to a Stratish thin ribbon. All I have left to finish is to sew the ends of the brim binding together and sew it to the hat. Also, I have to sew on the thin ribbon and bow work as well. Mine is a 5X Beaver 20

Before:

On the block:

Brim trimmed to 2 5/8

Brim binding ready to be sewn together and then sewn to the hat, as well as the ribbon and bow work needing to be sewn on. Almost there:

 

[T Jones]

Just got the ends of my brim binding sewn together and put on my Bandera. I'll be sewing basting stitches to hold it in place while I sew on the permanent stitches....notice how much this hat has faded over the years. The darker color where the ribbon was is the original color of the hat.

 

[suitedcboy]

The Bandera is looking great!

 

[T Jones]

The Bandera is looking great!

Thank you buddy, and thanks again for the hat! I really like this felt!

 

[belfastboy]

Brent gifted me this Bandera. It was in rough shape with many moth nibbles & stains...but the nibbles were mostly shallow. Cleaned, reblocked/reflanged and sanded out the nibbles. It turned out so nice my wife claimed it. I really like the onion skin type liner between the felt & sweat that blocks the perspiration from staining the felt.