The Headwear Association is the oldest association in the hat trade, and in fact, the oldest of its kind in the world!  Our birth was a chance meeting of hat salesmen finishing their Spring 1907 trip at a Pittsburgh hotel.  The first dinner was held at the Waldorf Astoria (then on 34th Street) in New York on January 30, 1908 with 34 industry members present. The initial charter stated the association should have no other purpose than "To encourage the spirit of fraternity in the hat trade".  

     As we celebrate our one-hundredth year, our organization has a renewed focus and energy.  Our mission today is to promote hat wearing and the headwear industry throughout the world and foster goodwill and fellowship among those engaged in the headwear industry.