Wilson King
Wilson King’s love of hats started at a young age. Growing up in a rural horse community he was introduced to the traditional English country style. Early in life Wilson began riding horses and fox hunting which led him to being introduced to carriage driving and thus English sports style. Oilskin, caps, and riding helmets.
Wilson went to Penn State University and joined the livestock judging team. Within this new world he was first exposed to the western world and a whole different world of hats. He bought his first Stetson Hat at the International Livestock Show at McCormick Center in Chicago.
Following graduation Wilson moved to Australia for a year to work on a rural station and explore the country on a motorcycle. During this trip he was given an oilskin duster and an Akubra hat, two items that would set the course for his future.
Once back in the US and working as a farmer Wilson began to rely on his oilskin duster for foul weather. After a particularly bad downpour and the realization that farming was not panning out, he decided to try importing oilskin dusters.
Following the success of the dusters Wilson connected with the team at Akubra in Australia and began importing the iconic hats. The start of Outback had officially begun. Within this relationship he began learning about the process of making wool hats and his love of hats flourished. It was also around this time that Wilson was connected to the wonderful community of headwear manufacturers, designers and jobbers.
Outback is a hat and clothing company, but his true passion has always remained with hats. From first importing Akubras, to now over 40 years of developing, designing and sourcing hats from all over the world. You can still find Wilson wandering the halls of Outback or mowing the fields on his farm, wearing a hat of course.
Congratulations Wilson King, our 2025 Rosenthal Award Winner!
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