Price and Popularity
Stetson produced a very expensive hat. The cowboy riding the range wearing that "'Boss of the Plains' hat showed the world that he was doing well". "Within a decade the name John B. Stetson became synonymous with the word 'hat' in every corner and culture of the West."
The shape of the hat's crown and brim were often modified by the wearer for fashion and to protect against weather by being softened in hot steam, shaped, and allowed to dry and cool. Felt tends to keep the shape it dries in. The high crowned, wide brimmed, soft felt western hats that followed are intimately associated with the American cowboy image.
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