THE HEADWEAR ASSOCIATION DINNER IN NEW YORK WAS A SMASH SUCCESS

Don Rongione, Bollman Hats and Doug Highsmith, Dorfman-Pacific	Trina Hatfield, Wilson King, Winter Paxson - Outback Trading
Bob Broner, Broner Hats and Paul Mahan, Outdoor Cap	Ellen Christine Colon-Lugo, Ellen Christine Couture Millinery and Peter Goldman, Philadelphia Rapid Transit
Giorgio Borrione, Cappellificio Cervo S.r.l; Roberto Dorfzaun, World Hat Co.; Giorgio Aramu, Cappellificio Cervo S.r.l	Linda Ashton, Linda Ashton Fine Millinery; Dina Pisani, Cha Cha's House of Ill Repute; and Linda Pagan of The Hat Box

Score one for the team – The Headwear Association Dinner was a huge success.

Lots of new faces were in attendance – Young and Old – Young at heart and old timers with stories to tell.

It was also one of the largest crowds – 125 to be exact - with people coming from 10 different countries. The talented (and exuberant) hatters from the Milliners Guild in NYC came to the dinner as well. And, Mother Nature made sure that the weather was terrific (given the time of the year).

"After the great recession, people need a reason to celebrate and it felt like a real celebration of hat fashion and optimism for an exciting future for our industry," said Don Rongione, President and CEO of Bollman Hat Company.

He added: "Young people are wearing hats in greater number and the room exploded with youthful exuberance. Great headwear adorned the young and old attendees. This was a night to remember for our industry!"

For first timer Jasmin Zorlu it was also a big hit. The San Francisco hat maker met new hatters to collaborate with and got "great information, like sales figures for different companies." Zorlu also got new ideas for where to shoot her hats for promo material and met a person who has been selling her materials for her hats."

"The Headwear dinner was a wonderful experience and I loved hearing Mr. Baik from 'Young An' company speak. He received the Ben Rosenthal Award and announced a generous scholarship for young milliners. He was so sweet: 'Good evening hat family, hat lady and hat gentleman'. He said that people in the hat industry have pure hearts."

Monika Stebbins, of Monika Fine Millinery, also had a joyous time at the dinner (it was her first time as well).

"I had a really great time, I talked to different people I had never met," said the custom milliner, who is originally from Europe but now lives in New Jersey.

"I did not have contact with manufacturers in the US before, I knew the names but it was quite nice to meet the people I have heard about. It was a lovely evening, I got to compare how different people do business and I got insight into how the industry works," said Stebbins.

The new venue, in the Central Park Boathouse, also proved to be a winner. The food was excellent and guests were able to chat outside on the terrace of the restaurant (that overlooks Central Park).

It was also a delightful mix of different generations and different hat persuasions. If you want to take a phrase from the Passover Haggadah, "Why is this night different from all other nights" – the answer is clearly that Hat Industry folks are best of breed. On this one night of the year no one is a competitor or challenger, everyone is there to celebrate the industry and honor those being recognized by their peers.

The Retailer of the Year Award was given to Martin Mann, President of Hats Plus Ltd. in Chicago. The Ben Rosenthal Award went to Mr. S. H. Baik, Chairman and Owner of Young An Hat Company (this is a self-made man with an amazing history) and the David Lieberman Award was given to David Goldman, Vice President of Philadelphia Rapid Transit.

So, if you want to attend the dinner next year (and we recommend you do) mark your calendars for March 17, 2011. And, if you want to get information about joining the Headwear Association contact them at www.theheadwearassociation.org The organization is in its 102 year (and that’s a Big Deal).

We will bring you more on the dinner, and the business meeting prior to the dinner, in upcoming newsletters.

Trina Hatfield and Denise Woods of Bierner Hat

Lenore and Bernard Grossman of Betmar NY Hats

Jasmin Zorlu, Monika Stebbins and Sanyetta Baptiste of Edith & Ivy

Dan Brody of Grace Hats and Rachel Kovalsky