In 1891 two brothers Jose and Carlos Lagomarsino had a dream. They wanted their own hat factory in Buenos Aires. They met a waiter who knew the hat-making trade. He had worked in Italy. With 2500 pesos they started Lagomarsino. They were pioneers. They made everything themselves. Most factories imported materials. Lagomarsino’s hats were unique.
The 1930s were Lagomarsino’s golden age. Carlos Gardel and Hipolito Yrigoyen wore their hats. They exported to Europe and America. Their most popular model the Flexil sold 1000 dozen a year. Over 800 people worked for Lagomarsino. The Lagomarsino brothers trained them.
Three generations ran the company. In 1945 Rolando Lagomarsino entered politics. He neglected the family business. Lagomarsino was sold. Antonio Riera bought the company in 1967. His family were hat makers in Spain. They fled the Spanish Civil War. They found work in another Buenos Aires hat factory.
Antonio learned hat making at age 12. He later opened his own shop. Then he was cheated by a partner. Lagomarsino’s sales were falling. Hats were becoming less fashionable. Public transport and changing fashions impacted sales. Laws forced them to move or close. Antonio knew Lagomarsino well. He supplied felt. He took a loan and bought the company. He moved the factory to Lanus.
Antonio suffered a stroke. His son Antonio took over. His sons Jorge and Juan joined in the 1980s. They started as workers. Silvina their sister works in administration. Now their children are involved. Lagomarsino is still a family business. It’s a family legacy. But with a new name Riera.
Lagomarsino was once a world leader in hat making. Jorge Riera is proud of the legacy. Lagomarsino shared industry secrets with Borsalino and Stetson. They made their own machines. Hat making is still very much a handmade process. It takes 25 people and two months to make one traditional felt hat.
They updated designs. They created new lines. They make field hats city hats caps berets religious hats and summer hats. They modernized old designs. The Australiano hat mixes tango and cowboy styles. The Flexil line is named after Lagomarsino’s classic men’s hat. They added women’s styles. They added the classic capeline. They added eight new women’s styles in 1983. They export worldwide. Domestic sales are low. They hope to change that. They want Porteños to wear hats again.
The Riera family opened a new shop on Avenida de Mayo. It’s a shop and a museum. They restored the historic building. They saved original features. It’s Antonio Riera’s dream. He wanted a place where Buenos Aires stories are told. The shop displays old tools and hats. There are old machines and a restored workbench. There are pictures of both families. You can get your hat blocked while you enjoy a coffee. They want to share their story. They want people to know that high quality hats are still made in Argentina.