Borsalino
Borsalino is a 1857-founded Italian heritage luxury hatmaker (operating as Haeres Equita srl) selling premium felt and straw hats, caps, bags, sunglasses, and perfumes to affluent global consumers via DTC e-commerce and monobrand boutiques.
- Company typePrivate
- Founded1857
- HeadquartersAlessandria, Italy
- Headcount101–250
- GTM typeB2C
- OfferingHardware or Manufacturing
What Borsalino does
Borsalino is an Italian heritage luxury hatmaker founded in 1857, currently operating under the legal entity Haeres Equita srl with headquarters at Corso Garibaldi 122, Valenza, Italy. The company designs, produces, and sells premium felt and straw hats (Fedora, Trilby, Panama, Country and Cowboy, Wool Felt, Straw), caps (Flat Caps, Berets, Baseball, Bucket, Sailor, Waterproof, Beanies), and an expanding accessories portfolio that includes bags under a Gamat licensing agreement, sunglasses through an OPHY collaboration, signature perfumes, and a Care Kit for hat maintenance.
The core technology is artisanal Italian craftsmanship in felt and straw hat production, supplemented by bespoke services (Made-to-Measure), hat care and repair programs, and a heritage content layer including a museum and storytelling assets (The Felt Journey, The Straw Journey). Distribution combines a direct-to-consumer global e-commerce platform (borsalino.com with regional storefronts including a US English version), a network of monobrand physical boutiques accessible via a store locator, and licensed third-party channels for non-headwear categories. Revenue is generated primarily through one-time luxury product sales with a growing licensing royalty component from the Gamat leather goods arrangement.
The customer base is affluent luxury fashion consumers across both men's and women's segments, served globally with active expansion into the Asia Pacific luxury market. The company's GTM combines DTC retail and e-commerce, strategic channel partnerships (Essence Group for 50 planned Greater China monobrand boutiques and a 2026 e-commerce flagship), and licensing deals (Gamat for leather goods, OPHY for eyewear) to extend the brand without proportionate capital outlay on non-core categories.
Borsalino firmographics
Firmographics- Name
- Borsalino
- Legal name
- Haeres Equita srl
- Website
- https://borsalino.com
- Company type
- Private
- Founded year
- 1857
- Operating status
- Operating
- Headcount range
- 101–250 employees
- Short description
- Borsalino is a 1857-founded Italian heritage luxury hatmaker (operating as Haeres Equita srl) selling premium felt and straw hats, caps, bags, sunglasses, and perfumes to affluent global consumers via DTC e-commerce and monobrand boutiques.
- Ownership category
- akta.pro rank
Borsalino industry classification
Industry- Product category
- Luxury Headwear
- NAICS
- Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (3159), Apparel Accessories and Other Apparel Manufacturing (31599), Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (458110), Clothing and Clothing Accessories Retailers (4581)
- SIC
- Retail-Apparel & Accessory Stores (5600)
- akta.pro primary industry
- Luxury Hats & Headwear (CRAKAEAG)
- akta.pro secondary industries
- Hats, Caps & Headwear (CRAAAJAE), Headwear Manufacturing (Hats/Caps/Beanies) (IMAOAFAA), Handbags & Fashion Bags Manufacturing (IMAOAHAA)
Keywords
Where Borsalino is headquartered
LocationHeadquarters
- HQ city
- Alessandria
- HQ country
- Italy
- HQ region
- Europe
Offices1 record
Markets served
Borsalino business model
Business model- GTM type
- B2C
- Offering type
- Hardware or Manufacturing
- Cost components
- Supply Chain, Personnel, Operations, Marketing or Sales, Others
Revenue model
- Luxury Hat Sales: Core revenue from selling luxury hats including fedoras, trilby hats, rollable hats, country and cowboy hats, Panama hats, felt hats, wool felt hats, and straw hats through direct retail and e-commerce channels.
- Caps Sales: Sales of various cap styles including flat caps, berets, baseball caps, bucket caps, sailor caps, waterproof caps, caps with and without visor, and beanies.
- Leather Goods Licensing: Licensing revenue from leather goods partnership with Swiss company Gamat, extending the Borsalino brand into bags and leather accessories.
- Accessories and Sundries: Sales of accessories including sunglasses (collaboration with OPHY), perfumes (Perfume Street fragrances), care kits, and other branded merchandise.
- Bags Collection: Sales of women's bags and leather goods under the Borsalino brand, operated under licensing agreement with Gamat.
Go-to-market motion3 records
Distribution channels4 records
Marketing channels4 records
Borsalino product offering
Product offeringCore offering
Borsalino manufactures and sells Italian luxury hats (Fedoras, Trilbys, Panama, Felt, Wool Felt, Straw, Rollable, Country and Cowboy styles) and caps (Flat Caps, Berets, Baseball Caps, Bucket Caps, Sailor Caps, Waterproof Caps, Beanies). The company also offers women's bags under a licensing agreement with Gamat, sunglasses in collaboration with OPHY, signature perfumes, hat care accessories, and Made to Measure bespoke services through its own e-commerce store and monobrand boutiques.
Product overview
Borsalino is an Italian luxury hatmaker founded in 1857, now operating under Haeres Equita srl. The company offers a comprehensive luxury accessories portfolio organized around its heritage craftsmanship. Core offerings include luxury hats (Fedora, Trilby, Panama, Felt, Straw, Rollable, Country and Cowboy styles), caps, bags (via Gamat licensing), sunglasses (in collaboration with OPHY), and perfumes. Additional services include Made to Measure customization, Care Kit accessories, and seasonal Capsule Collections. The company operates monobrand boutiques globally with strategic expansion into Greater China through Essence Group partnership.
Differentiator
Problem solved
Functional benefit
Products and services
- Hats
Companies that use Borsalino
Customer profileSegments3 records
Ideal customer profiles2 records
Borsalino technology and API
TechnologyTechnology focussed No
API detail
- Has API
- No
- API docs
- API detail
Core technology
AI maturity
App detail
Feature4 records
Borsalino partnerships and signals
Strategic signalPartnerships
Three partnerships are on record, tiered flagship, core and minor.
- GamatflagshipBorsalino signed a new licensing deal with Swiss company Gamat for leather goods. This strategic partnership extends Borsalino's brand into leather bags and accessories category, announced during Milan Fashion Week Spring 2026 accessories presentations.
- Essence GroupcoreItalian luxury hatmaker Borsalino entered a strategic long-term partnership with China-based Essence Group to expand into Greater China. The five-year plan includes opening 50 monobrand boutiques starting with Shanghai in H1 2025, with locations across Hong Kong, Macao, and Taiwan, plus an e-commerce flagship launch planned for 2026. The partnership leverages Essence Group's local market expertise to build direct consumer relationships in the region.
- OPHYminorBorsalino collaborated with OPHY for sunglasses production, creating the Borsalino x OPHY sunglasses collection where heritage meets innovation in eyewear.
Scale indicators3 records
Recent moves7 records
Expansion highlights4 records
Borsalino competitors and assessment
Company assessmentBroad incumbents
- Goyard: French trunk maker and leather goods house with a similar heritage-driven, scarcity-based luxury model and selective distribution strategy.
- Loro Piana: Italian heritage luxury brand specializing in premium fibers and accessories, sharing Borsalino's Italian artisanal heritage positioning and high-end pricing strategy.
- Brunello Cucinelli: Italian luxury brand with similar heritage-craftsmanship narrative, Italian manufacturing footprint, and premium pricing discipline targeting affluent global consumers.
- Hermès: French luxury conglomerate with a leather goods and accessories business that overlaps with Borsalino's adjacent categories (bags, small leather goods) and sets the luxury pricing benchmark Borsalino competes against.
- Loewe (LVMH): Spanish luxury leather goods house under LVMH with comparable handbag-led category extension and heritage-craftsmanship brand positioning adjacent to Borsalino's licensing-led leather push.
Direct peers
- Stetson: American heritage hatmaker most directly comparable to Borsalino as a globally recognized branded hat company spanning western, fashion, and felt hat categories with similar premium positioning.
- Akubra: Australian heritage hat brand with comparable iconic-product status, multi-generational brand recognition, and premium felt hat manufacturing expertise.
- Christy's London: British heritage hatmaker producing felt and straw hats with similar artisanal manufacturing traditions and luxury headwear positioning.
- Lock & Co. Hatters: London-based luxury hatter founded in 1676, the closest analogue in terms of heritage craftsmanship, bespoke service, and luxury positioning in the headwear category.
Others
- Tumi: Premium luggage and leather accessories brand providing a reference point for adjacent travel goods retail and leather accessories category dynamics relevant to Borsalino's Gamat-licensed bag extension.
Market position
Strengths5 records
Weaknesses5 records
Competitive moat3 records
Key risks6 records
Key highlights7 records
Customer concentration
Borsalino social profiles
Digital presenceBorsalino financial estimates
Financial estimateRevenue estimate
Valuation estimate
Borsalino leadership team
Management profileNumber of profiles
Borsalino funding detail
Funding detailFunding overview
Funding rounds
Investors
Funding detail is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Borsalino M&A and investment
M&A and investmentM&A
Investments
M&A and investment is available on the Subscription and Enterprise plan.Contact sales →
Frequently asked questions about Borsalino
What does Borsalino do?
Borsalino manufactures and sells Italian luxury hats (Fedoras, Trilbys, Panama, Felt, Wool Felt, Straw, Rollable, Country and Cowboy styles) and caps (Flat Caps, Berets, Baseball Caps, Bucket Caps, Sailor Caps, Waterproof Caps, Beanies). The company also offers women's bags under a licensing agreement with Gamat, sunglasses in collaboration with OPHY, signature perfumes, hat care accessories, and Made to Measure bespoke services through its own e-commerce store and monobrand boutiques.
Is Borsalino a public or private company?
Borsalino is a private company. It is classified as unknown and is currently operating.
When was Borsalino founded?
Borsalino was founded in 1857. It employs 101 to 250 people.
Where is Borsalino based?
Borsalino is headquartered in Alessandria, Italy, in the Europe region.
How does Borsalino make money?
Five revenue lines are on record. Luxury Hat Sales are the primary driver. The others are caps Sales, leather Goods Licensing, accessories and Sundries and bags Collection.
Who are Borsalino's main competitors?
Broad incumbents on record are Goyard, Loro Piana, Brunello Cucinelli, Hermès and Loewe (LVMH). Direct peers are Stetson, Akubra, Christy's London and Lock & Co. Hatters. Tumi is listed as an others.
Does Borsalino have an API?
No public API is recorded for Borsalino.
What industry is Borsalino in?
Borsalino's product category is Luxury Headwear. Its primary akta.pro industry code is CRAKAEAG, Luxury Hats & Headwear, with a secondary code of CRAAAJAE, Hats, Caps & Headwear. Its NAICS code is 3159 and its SIC code is 5600.