We don’t mean to come over all philosophical, but if you're a long-time Bates customer you’ll notice some big changes to our website. Lockdown in the UK gave us an opportunity to revisit the design of our site, as well as the driving principles behind the brand.
You’ll see that our logo (above) has been updated and an important word has been cut – ‘Gentlemen’s’. Don’t get us wrong, we LOVE our heritage and strong relationship with male customers. We’re proud to have been in business since 1889, with most of these years spent trading on London’s famous Jermyn Street (read the story of Bates here). But we think we can all agree that once Coco Chanel astounded the world by daring to wear men’s trousers as a fashion statement and David Bowie put on make up and took to the stage in women’s shirts – the rule book for who can wear what was truly ripped up. And good riddance.
Our hats and caps are top quality pieces that should be equally enjoyed by everyone. In the coming months you will see our photography, content and stories include men, women and (soon) juniors.
The right hat expresses a unique style like nothing else can. We want you to be bold. We want you to be free. We want everyone to be Bates.