Simon and Mary: the new ‘old hat’
This story starts in Poland in the 1930s. Mordechai Pozniak was a milliner who ran a cap factory. He was training his two sons in the hope that they would take over from him when the time came.
The Second World War hit and the family were forced to flee, leaving the business behind. They headed to South Africa and set up shop in Johannesburg, making the one thing they knew best – hats.
When Mordechai passed on, his son Simon took over the business and, by the 50s, it was one of the largest wool felt hat manufacturing plants in Africa, exporting raw materials to Europe, Asia and America. They continued successfully until the 90s, when China caught up and priced them out of the game.
Luckily for us, however, the Pozniaks have always been willing to adapt to the times and they continued to service the many independent stores in South Africa, always looking for ways to utilise the factory to its full potential.
“Simon and Mary now exists to keep the factory alive and burning, along with the people who have worked happily here for many decades,” explains Dean. “It is here to revisit the days of the 70s.”
Dean is Simon and Mary’s grandson. He is the fourth generation Pozniak to continue their millinery heritage, and he has breathed a new life into the company, which would otherwise have disappeared – along with so many other manufacturers of handcrafted products that are now shipped in from China.
“We still use everything that my grandfather used back in the day; old tricks passed down from generations, and a system that has been functioning for 80 years. However we are facing new challenges,” Dean explains. Things like load shedding. “Random electricity cuts disturb important processes and damage our raw materials. However, I feel that we are so lucky to be living and working in South Africa today.”
The 21st century Simon and Mary customer is as dapper and trend conscious as ever and the brand maintains a broad appeal. “Our customers range from 16-year-old girls to 75-year-old gentlemen. Hats used to be more than just an accessory. They symbolised class. The taller your hat the higher you were in terms of class. Nowadays it’s more of a fashion item.”
The name Simon and Mary is of course a tribute to Dean’s beloved grandparents, who he takes care to honour in every aspect of the business.
“My grandmother’s name was actually Leah, but Simon called her Mary after a character in the Tolstoy novel War and Peace. She was the rock in his life and you know what they say, ‘behind every great man there stands a great woman’.”
Words by Emily Pettit-Coetzee
Images – Simon & Mary
