Stetson’s breakthrough lit a spark in North Texas factories. By 1938, the Byer‑Rolnick company—makers of the weather‑proof Resistol®®—had outgrown Dallas and moved its looms and ribbon machines up the rail line to Garland. That decision ignited an industrial cluster that now turns out more than one million cowboy hats every year.
For decades, skilled hat makers in Garland have crafted hats worn by iconic figures—from John Travolta in Urban Cowboy and J. R. Ewing in Dallas, to presidents like LBJ and George W. Bush, and music legends from George Strait to Beyoncé—all made just steps from Garland’s historic rail yard.
Their craftsmanship has turned Garland into a city where Western tradition meets industrial pride—and where the cowboy hat is more than attire—it’s an identity.
In 2013, the Texas Legislature passed House Concurrent Resolution 96, officially designating Garland as the Cowboy Hat Capital of Texas. Lawmakers cited the city’s unmatched concentration of western hat makers, whose handcrafted products ship worldwide and represent generations of Texas tradition.