For the French gangster movie, see Borsalino (film)

Borsalino (film)

Borsalino is a 1970 gangster film directed by Jacques Deray and starring Alain Delon, Jean-Paul Belmondo and Catherine Rouvel. It was entered into the 20th Berlin International Film Festival....

Borsalino is the name of a hat

Hat

A hat is a head covering. It can be worn for protection against the elements, for ceremonial or religious reasons, for safety, or as a fashion accessory. In the past, hats were an indicator of social status...

 company known particularly for its fedoras. Established in 1857, Borsalino produces felt

Felt

Felt is a non-woven cloth that is produced by matting, condensing and pressing woollen fibres. While some types of felt are very soft, some are tough enough to form construction materials. Felt can be of any colour, and made into any shape or size....

 from Belgian

Belgium

Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...

 rabbit fur

Rabbit hair

Rabbit hair is the fur of the common rabbit. It is most commonly used in the making of fur hats and coats, and is considered quite valuable....

 at its factory in Alessandria

Alessandria

-Monuments:* The Citadel * The church of Santa Maria di Castello * The church of Santa Maria del Carmine * Palazzo Ghilini * Università del Piemonte Orientale-Museums:* The Marengo Battle Museum...

, Italy

Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...

.

Giuseppe Borsalino visited Italy and France

France

The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...

 to learn the hat trade, and set up the first artisan workshop for the production of felt hats. When Giuseppe Borsalino died, he was succeeded by his son, Teresio Borsalino, in the family business. His success lasted until the 1940s, when the hat business declined in prominence.

In 1970, the company inspired the film Borsalino, which was moderately well received. In 1986, the Borsalino factory moved to its current location in the suburbs of Alessandria. The University of Alessandria (as well as a museum dedicated to the history of the hat) occupy the former offices of the Borsalino company.

The company currently produces a wide variety of products such as hats, ties, clothing, watches, perfumes and even old fashioned bicycles, and the company tries to keep all the charm and class from last century's fashion.

Ernie Pyle

Ernie Pyle

Ernest Taylor Pyle was an American journalist who wrote as a roving correspondent for the Scripps Howard newspaper chain from 1935 until his death in combat during World War II. He won the Pulitzer Prize in 1944...

was often photographed wearing a Borsalino. He wrote several pages in Home Country praising his love for his three Borsalino hats.

The company has branches in the USA and Europe.

Recently, Borsalino also started to produce helmets for motorbikes.