Goorin Brothers -- SF soul on top, all over
| |
(0)
Print
By Mayka Mei
Real throwback style at the new Goorin Brothers store on Haight.
Passing on from nuts to hats. Such was the transition as the historic Morrow’s Nut House gave way to a new Goorin Brothers store. Last weekend the worldwide hat manufacturer opened two new shops in San Francisco, forming a three-store family within the city.
Friday kicked off with the grand opening at 111 Geary. San Francisco natives may know it as the Nut House, but the previous owner of the 70-year old institution has finally handed the keys over to Goorin Brothers CEO Ben Goorin. In finding the next tenant, (all nuthead puns aside) working with Goorin Brothers was absolutely intentional. “They definitely wanted somebody that was like us,” Goorin said. “[A] San Francisco-based company that’s been around with family roots here.”
The good Brothers Goorin have called San Francisco home since Great Grandfather Cassel Goorin moved the establishment west in 1949. Originally founded in 1895, the company traces back four generations to the family’s Pennsylvania roots.
Nowadays, Ben Goorin runs the company from the Bay. “I really feel strongly for the San Francisco company,” he says. “Everybody in the company is about being here in the city.” The heart of Goorin Brothers’ design comes from its San Francisco headquarters, and it shows in the modern progression of the millinery.
While Goorin Brothers is devoted to its classic line and classic construction—They actively seek manufacturers that employ original machinery and equipment—it has grown in the past decade, expanding its product lines to include vintage-inspired Cassel Goorin and underground 1333 Minna.
Topping off a modern outfit with classic headwear.
1333 Minna, in particular, is likely to strike a chord with streetwear aficionados who like to style themselves with that something extra. Consistent with trends often iterated by the likes of Triple 5 Soul and Diesel, Goorin describes 1333 Minna as “more underground, edgy art styles mixed with traditional and classic styles.” Plus indie lovers will relish being able to tell their admirers the line was named after the street address of the Goorin Brothers art studio. Local insider knowledge is always in style.
With the rise of tailored looks coming back into fashion, Goorin notes that hat sales have been on the climb. He attributes the movement to nostalgia, “People are just connecting with more old fashions. People are just connecting with those classic American stories.”
Visit one or both of the Goorin Brothers’ new locations in Union Square and the Haight, to welcome back the contemporary rarity of hat shops. The brand as a whole is aiming to focus on its distribution to independent retailers, but it’s exclusively at the Goorin Brothers’ stores that you’ll be able to pick out your own band and feather.
111 Geary Street
(415) 362-0036
1446 Haight Street
(415) 436-9450
www.goorin.com
