SERVICE GUIDE

In this guide, we will cover the range of the Optimo Service Department and what you can do to care for your hat.

We are committed to maintaining the longevity and pristine condition of your hats. Our service department offers a range of services to ensure your hat receives the specialized care it deserves.

Hat Care Guide

A few simple pieces of advice will help maintain the structural integrity of the hat — and keep it looking good until daily use requires it to be returned to Optimo for a standard cleaning or restoration.

An occasional brushing to remove dust and dirt will help your hat look the best.

When a hat is not worn it should be placed on a table or shelf either upside down on the crown, or flat on its brim with the brim snapped up. For longer storage it is advisable to keep the hat in its hatbox, always in a relatively cool, dry place.

To some, it seems intuitive to pinch a hat by the crown, but over time this can weaken felt and severely damage straw hats if tightly pinched. It is best to handle a hat by the brim.

Service Offerings

Like any garment, a hat should be cleaned on a regular basis. How often it should be cleaned depends on the individual.

• How frequently is it worn?
• Is it one of several hats worn in rotation?
• In what environment and climate is it worn?

An average rule is a hat should be serviced every year or two.

Even the finest felt will accumulate substances from its surroundings, gradually embedding into the pores of the felt. Most obviously, the sweatband of the hat absorbs most of the perspiration from the wearer and should be routinely replaced when serviced.

The Optimo Service Department offers three tiers of work depending on the condition of the hat:

• Restoration, deep cleaning to restore the hat as close as possible to its original condition.
• Renovation, deep cleaning with a transformation of the hat in some way (i.e. size or style change).
• Annual Service, general cleaning and reconditioning.

All hats sent to Optimo’s service department are deep-cleaned in a special solvent bath, which sanitizes the material and removes dirt, oils and grease from deep within the pores of the felt. In the case of fine straws, the hats are stripped of all trimmings and washed.

After cleaning, hats are reformed on the same molds on which they were originally made. This ensures a professional job, which never disturbs the integrity of the build of the hat.

Restoration Service

Our restoration service is designed to return your hat as close as possible to its original condition.

This meticulous process includes deep cleaning and sanitizing, re-blocking to its original size and shape, and replacing all trimmings. We preserve the integrity of the hat while breathing new life into it, maintaining its classic appeal.

Our restoration service usually runs $250, subject to quote.

Renovation Service

Sometimes, clients gain or lose weight and request their hats be resized. Or, when hats are passed down to the next generation they often require resizing. 

In other cases, clients want to change the style of their hats, sometimes requiring brims to be cut down and crowns restyled. In such instances, a full renovation is usually needed.

For those looking to refresh their hat, our renovation service offers various adjustments while maintaining the hat’s original integrity. Renovations involve a complete deconstruction and rebuild.

This process might include changing the style, replacing the ribbon, resizing the hat, or updating specific elements to better suit your preferences. Significant alterations are carefully considered to ensure the highest quality result.

Our renovation service usually runs $350, subject to quote.

Annual Service

Our annual service, sometimes called our standard service, is a general cleaning and reconditioning suitable for annual maintenance. We generally recommend it when trimmings are not soiled and clients are looking to refresh their hats for the upcoming season.

If your hats have been wore for a few years, the crown needs to be reblocked, or if the trimmings are soiled, we will generally recommend a renovation.

Please note that straw hats are usually ineligible for standard service, as in order to be washed the hat must be stripped of all trimmings.

Our annual service usually runs $125, subject to quote.

The Patina of a Hat

In a restoration or renovation, all trimmings are replaced. Yet some clients grow fond of the “patina” on their hats and want to preserve them as marks of honor.

In such cases, Optimo offers “patina restoration,” in which the original faded ribbons are cleaned and reinstalled, and the felt is deep cleaned but isn’t reconditioned, which helps brighten felt back to its original luster.

Can Your Hat Be Serviced?

While our service department excels in maintaining and restoring Optimo hats, we generally do not service non-Optimos.

This is because we use the same equipment to service hats as we do to craft them. By maintaining control over the tools and processes, we ensure that each hat receives the meticulous care and attention it deserves. This level of precision is essential for preserving the integrity and quality of our products.

If you have a non-Optimo, we recommend investigating if your hat’s manufacturer offers service work. Every hat manufacturer has precise techniques and equipment they use to bring each hat back to perfection.

Non-Optimo Exceptions

Occasionally, we make exceptions for non-Optimo hats of exceptional quality and historical significance, particularly pre-1950 dress hats and historic restorations. If there is something like it in our collection, it is a dress hat.

Most hats before the 1950s were built to be serviced and we have the equipment, including most blocks and molds, for many classic men’s styles from the 20th century. However, most hats made in the past serval decades have not been designed to be serviced.

We also sometimes consider high-quality family heirlooms or sentimental hats.

We have collaborated with museums to restore notable and historical hats.

Beyond Repair

We generally recommend against sending in your hats for service if they have:

• mildew
• moth damage
• discolored or burnt straw

We also cannot completely hide tears, punctures, or cracks. However, we can stitch or repair such damage on a case-by-case basis akin to the Japanese practice of kintsugi. 

It is almost always many times more cost-effective to replace a straw hat rather than having it rewoven.

How to Have Your Hat Serviced

You may bring or ship your hat to our storefront:

Optimo Hats
51 W Jackson Blvd
Chicago, IL 60604

If you choose to ship your hat, please print and fill out this form. We will ask you to double check your fit, note what work you had in mind for the hat, and inquire about a few other details. Our service team will inspect that hat, then send you an estimate or reach out with clarifications.

Please Note

Hats shipped to our storefront are then transported to our workshop. Next, the hats are inspected by our small team of experts. It may be some time between when your carrier shows your package has arrived and when our Service Department contacts you.

Our sales team does not have the decades of expertise of our service department. As such, while they can receive hats, please do not expect them to answer technical questions about service work on your hats.

At Optimo, we pride ourselves on assisting clients across the globe without ever compromising on quality. Our commitment to excellence means that most of our service work is completed within 4 to 8 weeks, often sooner.

All hats sent to Optimo’s service department are deep-cleaned before any additional work for sanitary and hygienic reasons.

Secondhand Optimos

Vintage Optimos have become collectors items, often selling for more than the original selling price. This is due in large part to limited production, including many colors and finishes which will never again be seen.

If your hat secondhand Optimo is not a perfect fit, it is possible our Service Department may be able to resize the hat.

However, this work requires a technical investigation involving the volume and the crown. Generally, resizing by more than one size is not possible. Straws usually cannot be downsized.

The feasibility of this process must be determined by the service department by physically inspecting the hat on a case-by-case basis. This sort of work would be considered a renovation.

Authentication

Counterfeits began to be seen in the early 2000s, around the time Optimo began producing hats for Hollywood films. Similar to counterfeit luxury timepieces, fakes are generally easy to recognize.

Optimo authenticates our vintage models purchased on the secondary market. However, our sales team is not trained for authentication and cannot do this in real time at our storefront.