Friday, January 30

10E2425: Vermont Originals

My older Vermont Originals hat, sewn in East Hardwick, VT. 
"Vermont Originals was founded in 1971 by a business professor from Cornell and one of his students as a case study on cottage industry for the Cornell Business School.
 The main products are 100% wool hats knit in the traditional handcrafted manner by knitters in the Northeast Kingdom of Vermont.

Today Vermont Originals, as part of Turtle Fur, continues this fine tradition of made in Vermont, USA."
There is a lot of aesthetic crossover between the Moriarty Hats story, Stowe Woolens, Bar-W, CB Sports employing home knitters in Vermont and the Vermont Originals brand. Long/short they are stone cold classics and you know them when you see them - college or ski mountain name repeated round the sides... those. Or the ones with the braided earflaps. Big too.

Sidenote, the brand and name Turtle Fur (perhaps best known for their fleece neck'ups or neck-warmers) was synonymous with the word 'fleece' for a time in 70s Vermont - perhaps even New England.

VO hats are still made in VT, with cozy fleece added round the inside too - design your own custom version at Vermont Originals or get patriotic... via the revamped Turtle Fur (or cheeky sale here).