Bollman Hat Company survived when many hat companies couldn't during the 1970's. This decade was not kind to the hat business until the urban cowboy boom in 1979. The hat company's ownership transitioned from the Bollman Family to management in 1974. Activism continued early in the 1970's but subsided with the end of the Vietnam War in 1975. Baby boomers turned their focus inward rather than on society as a whole. Watergate, the Iran hostage crisis, and soaring gas prices were just some of the events that led people to work on their own well-being rather than the nation?s problems. The "Me Generation" focused on things like individual spirituality, personal wealth and style.
Certain art forms have the ability to sum up an entire decade in succinct, spot on representations of culture. Woody Allen's Annie Hall is an excellent study of the nuances of the 1970's female. In the movie, Annie Hall's wardrobe consisted of a tomboyish look that was topped off with a large-brimmed bowler. The need of many to find their own place in society led to unique fashion items similar to the Bollman Annie. This soft bowler puts a women's perspective on a classic men's hat shape. This hat comes in a special edition Bollman Heritage Hat Box.