Atlanta Georgian. [volume] (Atlanta, Ga.) 1912-1939, 1913-07-06
atlanta GIRLS
BUY MILLINERY
MADE At HOME
Half the Hats Seen on Peachtree
Street Are Made Here, but
the Fact Is Unheralded.
JOBBERS USE OWN LABELS
Factories Lose Identity When the
Product Is Shipped-MateriaIs
Come From Many Lands.

Half the women's hats seen on
Peachtree Street are made right IN
Atlanta.
The fair Peachtree promenaders
don't know it; the mIlliners they pat
ronize don't know It. in many cases
the iobbers themselves don't know II.
There are three factories in Atlanta
making women's hats Of straw, felt,
plush. hemp and the myriad other
materials which go to bedeck milady's
couture and frame her pretty face.
But as soon as the hat leaves these
factories the manufacturers lose their
identity The hat IS marked with the
jobber's label It may be marked
New York. Philadelphia. New orleans
or even London. The fact that 1t is
made in Atlanta Is nowhere to be dis
covered.
One manufacturer tells, with
grin. Of Atlanta miliners who
stocked up" IN New York-with At
Ianta made hats
Altogether it is an interesting bust
ness.
Materials From Afar.
The American Hat Manufacturing
Company. one of the largest Of the
three Atlanta factories imports
straws direct from China. Japan.
Italy and Germany. These straws
are plated abroad. and either are
dyed there or bleached and dyed in
Camden. n. J.
Japan sends hemp braid. Italy fur
nishes the milans. leghorns and tus-
cans. Germany furnishes peculiar
material known as Neapolitan braid,
which. though few know It, Is made
from American cotton. China fur
nishes coarse ptraws.
so much for the straws. The felt
bodies come from abroad, In the
rough-queer. looking toadstools Of
various shades Silks. ribbons, vel
vets. pushes and ornaments are car
ried in quantity enough 10 stock a dry
goods store OF large proportions
just now the factories are busy
winter, and with misses and chill
dren's hate for spring. 1914
Sample rooms already are 1lled
with fan and spring lines. dazzling
arrays OF colUrs. and seemingly in al
most every shape, but with smaller
hats predominRting
Plaster Hats the Start
The making OF hat may be said to
" uE Cd
workman makes plaster molds accu-
rately defining the shapes From
these plaster STAIRS. metal dies are
made. These dies are put In the
presses and heated by gas flames
The rough shapes either felt. velvet.
straw or hemp. are stamped with
these hot dies and held IN them until
dry. When removed the heat has
baked the sticky sizing" until the
shapes are firm,
From the presses the velvet and
plush hats go TO workman who
steams them and brushes up the nap
20 It's original beauty.
The straw shapes are made in the
factory. Ingeniously designed sewing
machines. manipulated BY skillful
girls, sew the braid round and round
until a tiny knot grows into a gigantic
hat In the straw season 150 girls
are busy at these machines
other ingenious machines sew IN
Innings, attach cloth crowns to brlms,
bind brims. and do other complicated
stitching which would seem to need
the skill Of the human hand
Girl Designs Trimmings.
The elaborate bows and TRIMMINGS
are designed by the Dung forewom-
an, who then teaches the girls under
how 10 make them. This IN itself is
work requiring art
Ready for shipment, the hats are
put IN the familiar round boxes
these. too. made In the factory. and
then In big corrugated paper cases.
on they 90, bringing Atlanta no
glory-but considerable money!