CAPO Austrian Headwear

CAPO is an Austrian headwear brand whose origins reach back to 1912 in the Bregenzerwald region of Vorarlberg. According to the brand's own history, the enterprise began as the "Vorarlberger Strohhutfabrik" (Vorarlberg Straw Hat Factory), producing straw hats for the Habsburg monarchy. Over the following decades it evolved through paper hats during World War I, felt hats from 1938, hay and Girardi hats in the mid-1950s, and fashionable fabric caps for winter from the 1970s. In the 1960s the company became known as the "Hutfabrik" in the Bregenzerwald, and from 1971 it manufactured hats and caps under the CAPO brand name. The brand today describes itself as combining young, dynamic shapes and designs with the finest hat-making craftsmanship. Its product range spans seasonal collections for men and women, organized into spring/summer and autumn/winter lines, with categories such as urban fashion, sport & function, fashion, and cashmere classics. Flagship items highlighted on its website include fitted knit beanies made of 100% wool, double-layer knit beanies in 100% wool, and double-layer knit beanies in an alpaca wool mix. The brand positions itself around the slogan "Express yourself & stay a head," and its current direction is summarized as innovative headwear "inspired by nature." CAPO's heritage includes moments of international visibility: the brand notes that Olympic champions have worn CAPO caps and that hats appeared in television broadcasts associated with "Denver Clan" (Dynasty), helping make CAPO known overseas. The company's roots in the Bregenzerwald — a rural, seasonally oriented region where knitting work and a hat factory helped sustain livelihoods in winter — remain central to its identity. Today CAPO is presented as a brand of Strickmoden Bruno Barthel GmbH & Co. KG, and the website notes that the company is supported with tax funds from the Free State of Saxony. The brand maintains an online shop at caposhop.com and communicates in both German and English. Its official site is capo-austria.com.

CAPO's corporate history is closely tied to natural raw materials and the seasonal rhythms of the Bregenzerwald, a rural, agriculturally shaped region of Vorarlberg, Austria. According to the brand's own account, its story begins in 1912 with the production of straw hats for the Habsburg monarchy. During World War I, the company produced paper hats. From 1938 it made felt hats. In the mid-1950s it added hay hats and Girardi hats. From the 1970s onward it focused on fashionable fabric caps for winter. The enterprise originated as the "Vorarlberger Strohhutfabrik" (Vorarlberg Straw Hat Factory). In the 1960s it became known as the "Hutfabrik" (hat factory) in the Bregenzerwald. From 1971 it manufactured hats and caps under the CAPO brand name. The brand emphasizes its more than 100-year history and the international reach of its products, citing Olympic champions who wore CAPO caps and television appearances with hats in "Denver Clan" (Dynasty) that made CAPO known overseas. In the Bregenzerwald, people traditionally followed the seasons; during the winter months, knitting work — and a hat factory — helped secure survival. This heritage of craftsmanship and seasonal adaptation informs the brand's present identity. Today CAPO describes its output as innovative headwear "inspired by nature," combining young, dynamic shapes and designs with fine hat-making craft. The brand is presented as a brand of Strickmoden Bruno Barthel GmbH & Co. KG, and its website notes support from tax funds of the Free State of Saxony. It operates an online shop at caposhop.com and offers seasonal collections for men and women across categories such as urban fashion, sport & function, fashion, and cashmere classics.

• 1971

  Hats and caps are manufactured under the CAPO brand name.

• 1938

  Felt hats added to production.

• 1912

  Production of straw hats for the Habsburg monarchy begins; origin of the enterprise in the Bregenzerwald.

• Paper hats produced during World War I.

• In the mid-1950s, hay hats and Girardi hats are produced.

• In the 1960s, the company becomes known as the "Hutfabrik" in the Bregenzerwald.

• From the 1970s onward, fashionable fabric caps for winter become a focus.

Traditional Austrian hat-making craftsmanship combined with young, dynamic modern design; innovative headwear "inspired by nature."

• Fitted knit beanie made of 100% wool

• Double layer knit beanie made of 100% wool

• Double layer knit beanie made of alpaca wool mix

• Straw hats (historical)

• Paper hats (historical)

• Felt hats (historical)

• Hay hats and Girardi hats (historical)

• Fashion fabric caps for winter (historical)

1. 1Mützen und Hüte | Capo Austrian Headwearcapo-austria.com
2. 2Über uns | Geschichte | Capo Austrian Headwearcapo-austria.com
3. 3CAPO Austrian Headwar GmbHwikidata.org