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H Bar C
H Bar C
had it's beginnings in 1897 with Samuel Christenfeld who made English riding
apparel in Brooklyn, New York. He partnered with M. Halpern in 1906 and
they called the company Halpern and Christenfeld which later became H Bar
C. In 1929 Halpern died and Christenfeld and his sons took over the company.
In the beginning their western apparel was mainly pants and coats.
In the 40's they wanted to expand to selling western shirts too. So they
went to Rockmount Ranch Wear to have their first shirts made. That is why
some of the early H Bar C shirts are very similar to some of the Rockmount
shirts.
In 1936 they opened an office in Los Angeles and later
changed the label to H bar C California Ranchwear. Seymour (Samuel's son)
worked there with Nudie Cohn, the famous Rodeo Tailor. H Bar C actually
produced some of Nudies production lines. There they catered to
the big Hollywood stars. They made clothing for stars like John Wayne, Roy
Rogers, and Gene Autry to name a few. They took embroidery and appliqué
work to the limits.
In 1947 H Bar C contracted the help
of Margaret and Frank (Guido) Miele. Margaret did a lot of the embroidery
work herself, but later trained other people to help with the increase
demand for her designs. H Bar C's designs have become highly
collectible. They include embroidery & appliqué work with a
large variety of designs. More designs than any other western shirt
maker.
Later Margaret Miele re-released some of her western shirt
designs as the Miele, Legendary Collection.
H
Bar C is one of the main western shirt companies that helped to make
western wear
popular. |
