A whole family’s history would probably have been very different, if, one fine spring day in 1874, Justin Herman had not taken the stagecoach from Wellin to Grupont, in order to catch the train to Brussels. An old man, who was a wholesaler in headwear, sat down opposite him. He was just as fed up with his business as many small and medium-sized companies are today, and thought that the railways would deal the dying blow to the hat. The last one had sold his entire stock to Justin and Justin cleared the stock so easily.

Justin decided to extend his activities.

The firm specialized in felt hats, straw boaters and caps. But, it took another 10 years for the firm to really take off.
In 1905, there were around 100 people working in the hat factory.

It was Justin’s son, Edmond Herman, who took over this flourishing company in 1910.

Unfortunately, the factory was transformed into a barracks during the First World War and hat-making activity was therefore considerably reduced.

The years that followed were difficult and all activity had to be stopped on 10 May 1940.
It was only after the liberation that Chapellerie Herman could resume its activities.

Afterwards, Edmond decided, even before the birth of the common market, to go for the international market, prospecting in the Netherlands, Germany and above all in France.

In 1963, the hat-factory saw the rebuilding on an industrial estate; were in charge, Edmond’s two sons, Adrien and Edmond.

In 1970, the decision was taken: to specialize in cap making.

This was the time of the famous! Herman cap were bearing the firm’s Oxford or Wellington effigy. The quality of our caps was acknowledged in many countries (over 80% of production was exported) and more than 300 different cloths from all over Europe were used to produce the dozen or so models leaving the Wellin workshops.

Proud of their product and know-how, the firm’s managers sent a very cutting letter to Brussels when, in the 1970s, the cap was removed from the list of products taken into account when calculating the index.

In 1986, Edmond’s two sons, Pierre and Paul-Henri, took charge of Chapellerie Herman.

The 1980s proved difficult. Less and less caps were being worn and hand-made luxury goods were no longer popular.The firm began to import goods, and at the same time continued to make its own hats, for which there remained customers.

Over the years, the import business has grown and grown. The articles in our collection come from all over Europe and also from China, Equator and Australia.

Production of luxury caps began to decline and the few orders that arrived no longer sufficed to make the activity profitable. It was with a heavy heart that the last cap was produced in Wellin in 2000.

Up to the present day, the competition from Asia and the end of textile quotas have made it impossible to manufacture in Belgium. But, this family’s firm has deserved this place and reputation. The name “Herman” remains synonymous with quality and diversity.

After 130 years, the Hat factory is active in Belgium, Holland, Luxembourg, France, Spain, Italy and Singapore.

Today, it’s Alexander and Virginie’s turn to take over!