Bailey Celebrates 100 Years with Rebranding for the Future

This year iconic hat brand Bailey celebrates 100 years of hat-making.  In honor of this remarkable milestone, Bailey has completed a year-long rebranding process. Maximizing the best from two distinct product groups, the rebranding has re-visioned Bailey of Hollywood and Bailey Western with the 21st century in mind.  Bailey products are crafted to personify craftsmanship, style, sophistication, and individuality.  Bringing out the best of who you are, the authentic you, Bailey is positioned to usher in another century of leadership as a quality global headwear brand.  

A year of exhilarating celebration has begun, debuting last Summer with a dinner for notables and influencers in Nashville TN, followed by the first ever lifestyle campaign featuring both divisions combined. Stay tuned for more information regarding upcoming celebratory events to mark the brand’s 100 Year Anniversary. 

“Working on the rebrand of Bailey, a heritage brand with two very distinct audiences and values, meant balancing and connecting the spirit of the past, finding the connective tissue, and looking to the icons and codes of today that allow us to have global brand continuity and tell new stories.  This rebrand is not about recreating the old glory days, but about priming and positioning the brand for a new world, a new economy, a new social standard, a new audience, and a new way of dressing.  We believe we have done that.”   
Paula Calvert, Global Creative Director

The fashion/contemporary side of the brand has been renamed Bailey 1922. The brand’s early years were in Los Angeles under the keen eye of hat-maker and visionary George S. Bailey, who designed Bailey’s first headwear collections for movie sets and emerging movie stars. Now referred to as Bailey 1922, this collection holds deep reverence for its heritage, yet with an eye to the future. Bailey 1922 has adopted a new tagline: Bailey Chosen, as well as a new logo emphasizing the contemporary quality of its products.  Bailey hats are designed for every moment of a person’s life.   Special luxury anniversary products will be released later this year on baileyhats.com.  

The Western side of the business will continue to refer to the brand as simply, Bailey. A horse etched logo designed by American artist Pecos McCool of McCool Co. Design pays homage to the brand’s origin.  A new tagline, Worn by Integrity, captures the true nature of its audience and taps into their inner beliefs and cultural mantra.  

Bailey uses wool from its very own sheep and scouring plant in Texas, with a domestic lateral company structure.  The brand is highlighting its transparency as well with its new campaign and hashtag: #texaswool.  

To respond to the growing appreciation of the outdoors, Bailey has launched its first ever Outdoors collection, merging previous Wind River products with a new cut and sew line, as well as a new knit group that offers the Bailey man headwear for today’s modern needs.  This is the first collection that will be offered in both the 1922 and Western divisions.  Fedoras have been designed for everyday use, to be worn with t-shirts and jeans, or to update a hoodie look.  Bailey products offer functional features and benefits such as water repellency, sun protection, hidden pockets and details that accommodate being ‘hands free.’  The updated collection encourages the need to wander, the appreciation of nature; to explore and to get out is universal. Capturing this essence was the intention of the recently completed rebranding process.  

“Creating the Outdoors collection for two very different markets was possible because we celebrated the common thread that binds both Bailey divisions rather than focus on what separates them: the quest for authenticity, the respect for heritage, the love of style and appreciation of craftsmanship and quality.” -Paula Calvert

Bailey and Bailey 1922 are fully owned by the Bollman Hat Company.  Established in 1868 in Adamstown Pennsylvania, the Bollman Hat Company is the oldest hat maker in America and produces hundreds of thousands of American-made hats each year.  Employee-owned, the Bollman Hat Company is dedicated to its quality iconic headwear brands that include Bailey, Bailey 1922, Kangol, Helen Kaminski, and Country Gentlemen.