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What the Crew at Goorin Bros Wears to Work

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Ben Goorin has a booming laugh, somewhere between Santa Claus and a comic book villain. It starts as a joke; a vocalized Blue Steel to help our photographer capture her shot of a laid-back executive, chuckling in the light of a sun-washed office. But the laugh takes on a life of its own. As staffers meander into the room for a group picture, the maniacal Santa bellows continue until the whole room is giggling. And then we have it: the perfect work family portrait. Seven cool, hat-clad colleagues who appear to genuinely enjoy working together as they bring Goorin Bros. hats to fans around the world.

Cassel Goorin began selling hats off of his horse-drawn cart on the streets of Pittsburgh in 1895. Cassel's sons, Alfred and Ted, took over the business in 1921. In 1949, Alfred —one-half of the Goorin Bros.— moved to San Francisco. Now Ben, a fourth-generation hat seller, runs the show from the company's Howard Street headquarters with the help of his stylish staff. We stopped by headquarters to find out how these hip locals approach fashion, and learned that Goorin style is as relaxed as a perfectly-cocked fedora.

· Goorin Bros. [Official Site]
· Working It [Racked]