Adamstown, PA &emdash; The Bollman Hat Company has announced its acquisition of the Ignite® brand. Ignite, founded in England by Neill Thompson in 2002, is best known for top quality ski, snowboard, surf and streetwear beanies and hats. Ignite products are sold through a number of leading stores in Europe with distributors in France, Spain, Austria, Switzerland, Finland, Iceland, Norway plus the UK at present.
Neill Thompson, Founder and Managing Director, will remain as Global Managing Director and will focus his efforts on brand building and marketing in Europe and launching the brand in the United States. Thompson, a passionate snowboarder for over 15 years and keen surfer since re-locating in 2002 to the UK’s surf capital; Newquay, commented “My inspiration to launch my own brand within the lifestyle market in which I had been living and for which I had, and still have, a massive passion, was to create a brand that I was to remain with throughout the rest of my career and beyond”.
Thompson started Ignite from his garage in Cornwall, England in 2002. “From garage brand to international brand, Ignite has had a great launch and we will help grow it first in the U.S. and then Australia, Asia and throughout the other world markets” commented Don Rongione, President & CEO of Bollman Hat Company. Ignite is entrenched in a lifestyle not fully covered by any existing Bollman brand. “We are very excited about where this brand will take us.”
“Ignite embraces my philosophy and passions: a defiant, independent, approach to life and fashion with a load of fun thrown in.” said Thompson.
Bollman Hat Company, founded in 1868, is America’s oldest hat maker and has the strongest collection of brands in the industry including: Bailey®, Country Gentleman®, Eddy Bros.®, Betmar®, Plaza Suite®, Helen Kaminski® and Pantropic®. Bollman also is the exclusive worldwide licensee for Kangol® and Timberland® Headwear.
