為什麼史特森牛仔帽這麼貴？ | 昂貴之謎 | Business Insider：英語精讀講義

A Stetson cowboy hat is stretched, shrunk, and submerged in water

一頂 Stetson 牛仔帽要經過拉伸、收縮，還要浸入水中

before it fully takes form. 片語搭配

才會完全成形。

Those are only a few stages in the 2-day process

這些還只是為期兩天的製程中幾個環節，

that can make these hats so costly.

而這些環節就可能讓帽子的價格如此高昂。

You won't find the popular Skyline style for less than $245 on Stetson's website.

在 Stetson 官網上，熱門的 Skyline 帽款最低也要 245 美元。

That's little compared to this one,

但和這一頂相比，那根本不算什麼，

which will set you back $5,000. 片語動詞

它要價 5,000 美元。

But it's not just how these hats are made.

但關鍵不只在於這些帽子的製作方式。

Stetson is one of the few hat brands that have reached icon status. 片語搭配

Stetson 是少數躍升為經典象徵的帽子品牌之一。

So, what made Stetson so iconic?

那麼，Stetson 為何能成為經典？

And is that why these hats are so expensive?

這也是這些帽子如此昂貴的原因嗎？

Producing a Stetson cowboy hat is a complicated and costly process.

製作一頂 Stetson 牛仔帽，流程既複雜，成本也很高。

The production begins here, in Garland, Texas,

生產流程從德州加蘭市這裡開始，

where workers turn fur into felt.

工人會在此將獸毛製成毛氈。

Stetson says it's one of the few cowboy hat makers in the US

Stetson 表示，它是美國少數幾家牛仔帽製造商之一，

that makes hat bodies from scratch. 慣用語

會從零開始製作帽胚。

This means it buys its own raw fur pelts and processes them into felt,

這表示它會自行採購未加工的毛皮，再製成毛氈，

compared to some other companies that buy pre-made hat bodies with the fur already blended. 表達脈絡

不像有些公司會購買已混好獸毛的現成帽胚。

Fur is the biggest indicator of quality, 片語搭配

獸毛是判斷品質最重要的指標，

and therefore has the biggest impact on price. 片語搭配

因此對價格的影響也最大。

In the fur room,

在毛皮儲藏室裡，

Stetson stores fur from Portugal, New Jersey, Belgium, and Ukraine.

Stetson 存放著來自葡萄牙、紐澤西州、比利時和烏克蘭的獸毛。

Okay, This is some of our natural beaver.

好，這些是我們的天然河狸毛。

Coarsest to the finer

從最粗到較細的都有，

the finer beaver hats are made out of natural beaver. 文法

較高級的河狸毛帽是以天然河狸毛製成的。

Very tight fur,

毛質非常緊密，

very durable fur,

也非常耐用，

good for all the weather, rain,

適合各種天候，包括雨天，

nice feel.

觸感也很好。

This kind of fur isn't cheap.

這種毛料並不便宜。

Just 1 lb of beaver fur can cost $125,

光是 1 磅河狸毛就可能要價 125 美元，

and chinchilla fur can cost four times the price. 文法

栗鼠毛的價格甚至可能是它的四倍。

Now consider that Stetson only produces about two hats per pound of fur. 表達脈絡

再想想看，Stetson 每磅獸毛大約只能做出兩頂帽子。

After the different furs are mixed together,

不同獸毛混合後，

the blend goes through a blower,

混合毛料會通過鼓風機，

which separates long hair from down.

將長毛與絨毛分離。

Stetson uses down fur because it produces a stronger felt. 用詞

Stetson 使用絨毛，因為它能製成更強韌的毛氈。

The machines in the factory are crucial,

工廠裡的機器至關重要，

but the job couldn't be done without trained workers. 文法

但沒有受過訓練的工人，這項工作也無法完成。

The company employs more than 200 workers at two factories to guide the hats through each stage,

公司在兩間工廠僱用超過 200 名員工，負責引導帽子通過每一道工序，

another element that ultimately impacts the price.

這也是最終影響價格的另一項因素。

About 100 sets of hands touch every single one of our hats as of right now. 講解

目前，我們的每一頂帽子都要經過大約 100 雙手的加工。

Workers pass the felt through several stages of shrinking

工人會讓毛氈經過數道收縮工序，

until the proper hat size is reached. 文法

直到達到合適的帽子尺寸。

Later, during the tipping stage,

之後，到了帽頂成形階段，

a worker helps create the crown by stretching and pulling the hat. 文法

工人會撐開、拉扯帽子，塑造出帽冠。

Then, as an employee turns the felt,

接著，一名員工轉動毛氈時，

brass fingers of another machine push the bottom out to form the brim. 慣用語

另一台機器的黃銅指爪會把底部向外推，形成帽簷。

One of the last stages of producing the hat body happens here at the forming machine,

帽胚製作的最後幾道工序之一，就在這台定型機上進行，

where the hat is submerged in hot water.

帽子會在這裡浸入熱水中。

An employee pushes down the former,

員工把模具往下壓，

and out comes the final hat body. 文法

最終的帽胚便成形了。

At the finishing factory,

到了後段加工廠，

machines taper and shape the crown of the hat,

機器會將帽冠收窄並塑形，

but the next few stages require special attention.

但接下來幾道工序需要格外留意。

Even as a machine sands the hat, 文法

即使有機器打磨帽子，

an employee again must be there to guide and feel it.

員工仍得在旁引導，並用手感受帽子的狀態。

The worker will decide when it has reached the proper thickness.

工人會判斷帽子何時達到適當厚度。

At other stations,

在其他工作站，

craftspeople use scissors and pliers to secure the buckle accent.

工匠會用剪刀和鉗子固定裝飾扣。

Others cut and sew on the leather strap by hand, 片語動詞

其他人則以手工裁剪並縫上皮革帽帶，

then the inner satin lining.

接著縫上內層的緞面襯裡。

No hat makes it out of the factory without a final quality inspection. 片語動詞

每頂帽子出廠前，都必須通過最終品質檢查。

All hats go through roughly the same process, 片語動詞

所有帽子經過的流程大致相同，

but premium ones have a few more features that impact the final cost.

但高級款還會加入一些提高最終成本的元素。

At $5,005,

售價高達 5,005 美元，

the Diamante Premier hat is one of the most expensive cowboy hats you can buy.

Diamante Premier 帽款是你能買到的最昂貴牛仔帽之一。

It's made with two high-quality furs,

它採用兩種高品質毛料製成，

chinchilla and beaver.

分別是栗鼠毛與河狸毛。

There's also the addition of the 14-karat gold buckle set,

另外還配有一組 14K 金扣飾，

which can add $1,000 to the cost of a hat.

可讓一頂帽子的成本增加 1,000 美元。

Quality is only one reason Stetson has the confidence to make a hat like this

品質只是 Stetson 有信心製作這種帽子的原因之一，

and be sure customers will buy it.

也讓它確信顧客會買單。

To understand the other piece of the puzzle, 慣用語

要了解背後的另一個關鍵，

you have to go back to Stetson's beginning more than 150 years ago. 片語動詞

就得回到 Stetson 在 150 多年前創立之初。

The founder, John Batterson Stetson,

創辦人 John Batterson Stetson，

is often credited with inventing the modern-day cowboy hat 片語搭配

常被認為是現代牛仔帽的發明者，

and setting the precedent for what the style should be. 片語搭配

也為這種帽款應有的樣貌立下先例。

There are many replicas of the Burberry trench coat,

Burberry 風衣有許多仿製品，

but they were the original,

但 Burberry 才是原創，

and they sort of set the industry standard for that specific product. 語氣意圖

並在某種程度上為這項產品訂下了業界標準。

And I think Stetson has also done a very similar thing,

我認為 Stetson 也做了非常類似的事，

where they have set a precedent with uh you know the celebrities,

它開創了一種先例，也就是，呃，你知道，那些名人、

the politicians,

政治人物，

uh wearing the hat and giving it that added value of yes, 片語搭配

呃，戴上這頂帽子，為它增添了這層價值：沒錯，

this is a luxury piece.

這是一件奢華單品。

In the late 1800s,

19 世紀末，

sharpshooter Annie Oakley became one of the first famous figures to don the hat. 講解

神射手 Annie Oakley 成為最早戴上這頂帽子的名人之一。

In fact,

事實上，

in 2012,

2012 年，

a Stetson hat worn by Oakley sold at auction for just over $17,000. 片語搭配

Oakley 戴過的一頂 Stetson 帽子，在拍賣會上以略高於 17,000 美元的價格成交。

While Stetson saw a dip in popularity in the '60s, 片語搭配

Stetson 的人氣雖然在 1960 年代下滑，

demand picked back up in the early '80s, 片語動詞

需求卻在 1980 年代初重新回升，

reignited by the release of the Indiana Jones movies. 講解

《印第安納瓊斯》系列電影的上映，再度點燃了這股熱潮。

The hat reached the heads of other famous figures like President Ronald Reagan around this time, too.

大約在同一時期，雷根總統等其他名人也戴上了這頂帽子。

But by the 21st century,

但到了 21 世紀，

the kind of famous face wearing a Stetson had changed. 慣用語

戴 Stetson 的名人類型已經不同了。

Dua Lipa's 2021 video for Love Again

Dua Lipa 於 2021 年推出的〈Love Again〉音樂錄影帶，

opens on a shot of a floating Stetson, 用詞

開場是漂浮在空中的一頂 Stetson 帽子，

then a shot of the singer looking stylish and seductive while wearing the hat.

接著是歌手戴著帽子、看來時尚又性感的畫面。

And here are two more notable examples

另外還有兩個值得注意的例子，

that show how Stetson has linked itself with high status. 片語搭配

顯示 Stetson 如何讓品牌與尊貴地位掛鉤。

There's Gigi Hadid holding a Stetson hat in this Vogue shoot in 2018,

2018 年，Gigi Hadid 在這次《Vogue》拍攝中手拿一頂 Stetson 帽子，

and 3 years later,

而三年後，

Beyoncé wearing Stetson on the cover of Harper's Bazaar in September 2021.

Beyoncé 則在 2021 年 9 月戴著 Stetson 登上《Harper's Bazaar》封面。

Both prove again

這兩個例子再次證明，

how the brand has evolved to something worthy of being worn by the world's biggest names. 講解

這個品牌已蛻變為值得全球頂尖名人穿戴的品牌。

If you idolize those uh musicians

如果你崇拜那些，呃，音樂人，

you're gonna want to wear the brands that they wear.

你就會想穿戴和他們一樣的品牌。