We create new products with respect for tradition
The story of Salon Lakkitehdas began back in 1952
Reino K. Salo (1926–2000) set up a plant in Kaustinen in 1952 and it spent its first few years operating in Kyrölä. Reino was inspired to set up the hat plant and begin industrial production by his brother, who had produced a fur hat as a hobby. Reino had written two books, and he used the profit from them as capital to set up the plant. After the war, shortages were widespread and the manufactured products sold well. When the company operated in Kaustinen, many local homes sewed hat parts for the plant. In 1960 however, Reino Salo and his family moved to Vammala, and the plant’s production moved, too. One reason for the move was a closer location to the big cities in the south of the country.
Reino Salo’s sons took over responsibility for running the company in the 1980s. At the end of 2019, the company was taken over by a new owner after having been in the Salo family for almost 70 years. Today, Salon Lakkitehdas is a thriving, Finnish family-owned company led by Ville Nuutinen. The company continues to be a Finnish, family-owned company that honours the Salo family’s traditions. Today, the hat plant’s premises are set in idyllic plant surroundings in Sastamala.
The product range before and now
For a long time, fur hats were Salon Lakkitehdas’ main product. They were exported as far as Central Europe and the Soviet Union. Thanks to a corporate acquisition in the 1980s, the production of fabric hats increased, and Salon Lakkitehdas also began to produce student and graduation caps. To begin with, student caps were sold to Sweden in particular. Sweden wanted to raise appreciation for vocational qualifications, and demand for graduation caps increased.
Nowadays, Salon Lakkitehdas’ range of products has something for all graduates. The official graduation caps, which were awarded the Design from Finland symbol, cover all general upper secondary qualifications, upper secondary level vocational qualifications, and degrees from university of applied sciences. The Design from Finland symbol conveys the origin of the unique Finnish design, and highlights the significance of the intangible work to Finland’s success and employment.
Today, Salon Lakkitehdas’ range of products also includes a wide selection of men’s and women’s caps, hats, and beanies. Our products will accompany you through everyday wear, leisure, and on special occasions. Customer-orientation is one of the cornerstones of our operations. Customer expectations, needs, and intended use form the basis for our product design.
We will continue to introduce products that combine Finnish skills with high-quality and responsible materials. We support responsible consumer behaviour by further lengthening the products’ service life and by improving quality. We also utilise recycled materials and favour eco-friendly materials and production methods.
We sell products in our online store, at our plant outlet in Sastamala, and around Finland in distributors’ brick-and-mortar stores. Salon Lakkitehdas’ products are sold in Finland and exported to the Nordic countries and Central Europe.
