The Winnipeg headwear company celebrating 90 years of business

Crown Cap can put another feather in its cap as the Winnipeg-based company marks another decade of existence.

The hat-making company, which started in 1934, is marking its 90th anniversary. It started as a small company making hats for farmers and now the hats are sold throughout North America, Europe, and Japan.

"We still make hats the way we used to make them 50, 60, 80 years ago," said Cole Leinburd, a sales manager with Crown Cap.

To Leinburd's knowledge, the company is the largest hat manufacturer in Canada and is still one of the top garment manufacturers in North America.

"Most of our hats are made by hand. So they're cut by hand, manufactured, sewn by hand and it's (the) craftsmanship. That's what we owe our success to."

Leinburd said the company makes around 1,000 hat styles per season and they have varieties ranging from a stockman cap to an aviator hat.

"Each decade, there is probably a go-to hat. In the '60s, it was the fedora…then it became an ivy cap or a driver cap and then we found that our aviator styles or bomber styles became really popular in the '90s. Now in the 2000s and onwards, it seems like it's everything."

Even with the decades of success, Leinburd said he always laughs when he hears that people in Winnipeg haven't heard of them.

"We always joke that Winnipeg is our smallest market…but we do sell to many companies in Winnipeg. We're always happy to hear when someone takes off their hat and goes, 'Oh, I'm actually wearing a Crown Cap and I'm actually wearing a hat made in Winnipeg.'"

He said their hats are sold by several companies like Hudson's Bay and Mark's. Crown Cap also makes hats for police services across Canada, the Canadian military, Canada Post, and the RCMP.

Along with the customers and employees of Crown Cap, he said Winnipeg's winters deserve some credit for the company's success as it really gives them a chance to test if they will survive cold days.

"A lot of our customers rely on us for cold weather hats…we test them out in Winnipeg winters and most customers say, 'Okay, we trust you that your hats will keep us warm because they're made, manufactured, and tested in Winnipeg.'"

Leinburd said the company is always thankful to be situated in Winnipeg and Manitoba and always tries to give back to the community that has provided them with so much success.

"Any company that's in need, as much as we can, we'll try to donate hats, scarves, gloves, whatever we can to those less fortunate in our own city." 

Crown Cap sewing room. (Photo by Scott Andersson)