INTERVIEW
At the Barcelona Hat Days
reputation and in our world, reputation is everything.” The company’s
history is also its library. “In eighty years, we have produced a great many blocks,” Julian says. “To celebrate 80 years in business, we launched a whole new website dedicated to our hat block shop this year. What you see on the website is only a fraction of the archive. Many of them are still in fashion. Often, we take a design from the shelf, refresh it, and it becomes a new old shape.”
International business
Basic shapes may have remained quite the same, but the contrast between past and present demand couldn’t be more striking. “From my grandfather’s time, demand for hat blocks in Poland has steadily declined,” Julian remarks. “We are probably now at the lowest point domestically. By contrast, the international side of the business began
60 | the hat magazine #107
from nothing and today represents
ninety-five per cent of our orders. Most of what we sell online goes to customers in Europe and the US. But recent
changes in trade and tariffs from the US have complicated this. Clients over there are placing fewer orders because of the additional costs of bringing goods from Europe. The US market is important, so it is a concern for us. We still have no complaints about the interest for our blocks in general, though.” This year’s attendance at the Barcelona
Hat Days event marked a new era in the company’s history. “This has been the first time we sold our blocks in person outside Poland. I consider it a success. My father was sceptical at first, but afterwards he congratulated me. I hope to take part in more events like this in the future.” The event also opened new doors.
“Meeting the team from the pin-making company Folch here in Barcelona was
very valuable. We want to develop new pins with them, and we are also planning to distribute stiffeners from Carina Marcon, who was also present at the event. In our work, we use poplar and linden wood most often, as they are light and easy to pin. For blocks that need to be a little harder, we use alder. With Folch, we discussed standardising pin angles and thicknesses, so they fit perfectly into the blocks. It is a small detail, but it makes a big difference.” Eighty years after a foundry modeller
realised that the same skills could shape both engine parts and fashion, Kacprzak Hat Blocks remains a three- man workshop carving, casting and now scanning its way into the future. As Julian reflects: “I feel a responsibility to carry forward the knowledge of our family. At the same time, I am young enough to embrace the new technologies. My task is to bring it all together – to produce the same blocks, perhaps even better ones, but faster and more accessible.”
More information
www.kacprzakhatblocks.com
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