Photo Gallery

  • Proudly serving: Canadian military personnel with their official issued Tilley Hats during Operation Desert Storm. –By Jake Wierenga, with permission. Courtesy of Legion Magazine. (1991)

  • Sampson (the elephant who ate the Tilley Hat three times) with his trainer Michael Hackenberger.

  • Hats to new heights: Alex (on right) with his hero, Sir Edmund Hillary, both wearing their Tilley Hats. –Tilley collection (1990s)

  • Canadian Olympic Sailing Team, Greece, 2004 with their Tilleys. -Alex Tilley collection, 2004

  • Nosey neighbour? Alex often travelled with a fake rubber nose to help form a bond by making people laugh. –Tilley collection (1980s)

  • Homeboys: The Tilley boys in 2007 with their respective wives, Barbara and Hilary, in front of Alex & Hilary's home on Lake Muskoka. This property was the location of their mother Audrey's cottage, which she purchased in 1968..

  • Best Hat in show: The Tilley booth at the Annapolis boat show in 1983 included an aquarium to demonstrate that the Tilley Hat does indeed float. –Tilley collection (1983)

  • Paddling north: Sudbury had much to offer Alex during his teenage years. He loved the outdoors and canoeing on Joe Lake. –Tilley collection (1957)

  • Beauty afloat: The restored Karmananda was the boat that started it all when Alex sought a hat that would be ‘in keeping’ with the beauty of his sailboat. –Tilley collection (1980s)

  • Scouting around: At age 12, Alex left for Scout camp from the Sudbury train station. This photo was later used by Scouts Canada in their 2011 campaign, It All Starts With Scouts. –Tilley collection (1950)

  • Friendly family feast: Alex was taking photos in Bhutan and this hospitable family invited him and Hilary to join them for lunch. –Tilley collection (2008)

  • The “Great Head”: Sculptor Robert Breau created a replica Easter Island Head that was installed outside Tilley World Headquarters to draw attention to the store.

  • "Not-Yet-Famous" - The Tilley booth at the Annapolis boat show in 1983. –Tilley collection (1983)

  • Tender loving care: Alex spent many hours over several years restoring his beloved sailboat Karmananda. –Tilley collection (1977)

  • The Art of Business: The deluxe "Artmobile" for Fine Art Consultants, Alex’s first successful business. –Tilley collection (1970s)

  • Alex at 24 years old when he married Diane in 1962.

  • Fresh treats: Alex samples a chocolate-covered banana, a product sold by an Ecuadorian youth entrepreneur enrolled in Street Kids International courses. –Tilley collection (2012)

  • Wonder weed: Hemp, the world’s strongest natural fibre, was still controversial in 2003 when Alex decided to manufacture the Tilley Hemp Hat. –Tilley collection (2003)

  • Alex performing official product testing.

  • In the shadows: In the bright Belize sun, the prototypes had to be photographed in the shade of an outhouse in order to show any detail. Alex displays the T1, T2 and an acrylic women’s hat. –Tilley collection (1980)

  • Testing a Tilley: The Tilley family tests the prototype Hats in Belize in March 1980. Alex with daughters Karen (centre) and Alison. –Tilley collection (1980)List Item

  • Tilleys on tour: The Tilleys visited Niagara Falls when Alex was eight and John, four. Alex recalls being distressed when his white shirt got dirty. He later created clothing that can be handwashed in a hotel sink and dries overnight. –Tilley collection (1946)

  • Cottage life: For Tilley brothers Alex and John, cottaging on Ontario lakes was a normal part of summer life in Canada. -Tilley collection (1949)

Beloved Bonus: “Bonus” the moose was created by Gravenhurst sculptor Hilary Clark Cole. Bonus stood proudly outside the Tilley World Headquarters for many years. –Tilley collection (1992)

Beloved Bonus: “Bonus” the moose was created by Gravenhurst sculptor Hilary Clark Cole. Bonus stood proudly outside the Tilley World Headquarters for many years. –Tilley collection (1992)

Alex and “T4” Alex and Hilary (who was nicknamed T4 by Tilley staff) were married at their home on Lake Muskoka on July 12, 2008. –Tilley collection (2008)

Alex and “T4” Alex and Hilary (who was nicknamed T4 by Tilley staff) were married at their home on Lake Muskoka on July 12, 2008. –Tilley collection (2008)

The cat in the hat: Photo courtesy of Douglas Bradshaw (1985)

The cat in the hat: Photo courtesy of Douglas Bradshaw (1985)

Alex in front of his mother's cottage on Lake Muskoka (1990s)

Alex in front of his mother's cottage on Lake Muskoka (1990s)

Alex as a toddler in Mount Albert, Ontario with mother Audrey. Alex is intrigued by his father's shadow as Joe took the photo. (1940)

Alex as a toddler in Mount Albert, Ontario with mother Audrey. Alex is intrigued by his father's shadow as Joe took the photo. (1940)

Treasures! Alex carrying a new acquisition, an elephant sculpture, into Tilley World Headquarters, the Great Head behind him as well as Bonus, the moose. (1991)

Treasures! Alex carrying a new acquisition, an elephant sculpture, into Tilley World Headquarters, the Great Head behind him as well as Bonus, the moose. (1991)

Joseph Tilley, Alex's father, was born and raised in Belleville, Ontario. Joe's father was originally from Kelligrews, Newfoundland, where the family roots go back to 1790.

Joseph Tilley, Alex's father, was born and raised in Belleville, Ontario. Joe's father was originally from Kelligrews, Newfoundland, where the family roots go back to 1790.

Alex provided Hats and Tilleys to Operation Raleigh youth participants who tested them on excursions and provided feedback and suggestions for improvements.

Alex provided Hats and Tilleys to Operation Raleigh youth participants who tested them on excursions and provided feedback and suggestions for improvements.

Dr. Joe MacInnis, diver and deep sea explorer, with his Tilley.

Dr. Joe MacInnis, diver and deep sea explorer, with his Tilley.