137-Year-old Headwear Publisher Giving Out Hatty Awards to Hat Lovers of All Ages

Long Beach, CA, September 21, 2009 - Hat Life, the headwear industry publisher, is giving out Hatty Awards to people who are passionate about hats. The 137-year-old headwear publisher is honoring hat-wearers for the first time. Up until now the award was only for headwear designers, manufacturers and suppliers.

“We realized that without the consumer buying and collecting hats, there would be no retail headwear business. And despite the economic downturn, headwear sales continues to soar,” said Hat Life Editor, Diane Feen.

The first ever Hatty Awards for the trade were given out in 2008 and were met with great enthusiasm and tremendous success. Headwear Industry leaders (and newcomers) who strive for excellence took home Hatty Awards for 2008. Winners included KOKIN (hatter to the stars), Mainland Headwear Holdings, designer and hat instructor Eia Radosavljevic, Legendary Headwear, New York hatter Ellen Christine, Lisa Battaglia, Lina Stein and others.

But this year Hat Life decided to add a new category to honor hat lovers and headwear enthusiasts (of all ages) who not only love wearing hats, but find the act of buying hats a thrill. “Some of our readers have confessed that they have as many as 500 hats in their hat collection,” adds Feen.

To win a Hatty Award, nominees must submit complete the entry form (with pictures) at www.hatlife.com/hatty_awards.php by October 15, 2009. Winners will be profiled in the Annual Hat Life Book, a 350-page headwear resource and trend guide with articles about all aspects of the headwear industry (as well as a list of thousands of retail and wholesale resources). Winners will also be part of the marketing and PR campaign for the 2010 Hat Life Book.

Hat Life, launched in 1872, started out as a single sheet dedicated to covering the hat industry. Since then it has grown into a 350 page glossy book that highlights everything about hats. There are fashion trend reports and predictions, pop culture buzz, celebrity photos, and notes and news about headwear.

The book also has a list of thousands of hat suppliers, retailers, wholesalers, manufacturers and other industry contacts around the world. “We find that some of our hat wearers enjoy trimming their own hats and like having a list of suppliers at their finger tips,” said Feen.

Hat Life also publishes a popular bi-weekly email newsletter with hat gossip and photos.

The 2009 Hatty Award winners (consumer and industry) will be chosen by a panel of industry experts. Hat wearers, their friends or co-workers can nominate anyone for an award.