The Return of The Cap

Last year saw the return of the cap, and it came in many guises, from snapback to trucker to Fivepanel caps, and in a variety of colours, textures and shapes. The last time the cap was so trendy was the eighties, and this vintage aspect is part of its appeal.
The First Time Around With no particular point of origin, the cap functions as a way to keep light out of eyes and it is said to have been around since the 1900s. The snapback became popular with the rise of baseball in the US in the 1940s and 50s. The cap evolved into a flat peak rather than a curved one, and teams began putting their colours on them so spectators could support them too.
The cap remains a part of the baseball uniform, and today all major league teams’ caps are made by New Era. Many people (including celebrities) still show their support this way. During the 1980s and early 1990s, hip hop culture made the cap fashionable. People like Tupac Shakur, Dr Dre and Ice Cube featured the cap on album covers, music videos and movies helped to promote it and gain popularity.
Today Today caps are still youthful, casual, and considered urban streetwear. However, last year they featured on the catwalk. A/W for 2016/13 saw the cap on every model on Van Assche’s Dior Homme catwalk, along with Alexander Wang, Lanvin and Acne also featuring the cap in their collections.
High street brands such as Topman and Asos have reported a surge in cap sales, among the most popular is the five-panel style. This style is a squarer style and features two back panels, two side panels, and one on top. The design of these caps has expanded since its days as a purely sporting garment, and now can be spotted in denim, leather and even cork. They can be worn with a growing variety of outfits, from dressing down a suit to putting the finishing touches on your streetwear inspired outfit.
They have been around for a long time and worn by many, but mostly as a practical garment. Now they are taking a step into the limelight and are no longer for truckers and baseball players, instead they are for the men who want to add a playful, youthful and casual facet to their style. Guest post by Barry Seltz.