The Hat that Launched a Thousand Brands
The Hat that Launched a Thousand Brands
How the New York Yankees Hat Started a Menswear Paradigm Shift
Worn by millions of people across the world, many of which have no connection to baseball at all, the Yankees hat is a timeless staple. Over the recent years, we’ve seen numerous designers add their own flair to the Yankees hat. Ranging from smaller tweaks like the MoMa logo on the side to more fundamental, structural changes like the adorning the Gucci monogram throughout the profile, the Yankees hat is the great design equalizer. It is the ultimate canvas for upcoming designers or luxury labels since the slightest design tweak goes a long way and any iteration is instantly a collectable.
There is copious cultural analysis around the Yankees hat and its rise in popularity in the 90s and early 2000s. However, we’ve seen another wave of popularity that aligns with the broader paradigm shift in menswear. In 2017, MoMa released a Yankees fitted hat with the MoMa logo embroidered on the side panel for their ITEMS: Is Fashion Modern? exhibit. The public realized that if you style a Yankees hat with more sartorial elements like blazers and loafers, it adds a fresh, modern touch to a more traditional look. Upon this realization, the MoMa hat reached critical mass in parallel path with Aime Leon Dore’s SS2021 season. This was the inflection point that moved us into the new era of menswear and gave brands like Aime Leon Dore, (modern) Stussy, and Kith more of a broad spotlight in the menswear community versus solely the sneakerhead community.
After both Aime Leon Dore and MoMa worked on their respective Yankees hats, we saw bigger brands start to add their own interpretations. Aime Leon Dore accelerated the growth by launching exclusive colors and unique textures like casentino wool. Todd Snyder added unique fabrics like houndstooth and camel silk to the profile. Ralph Lauren put his physical signature on the brim and added the iconic Polo logo to the back of the hat. Even luxury brands began to work with the Yankees, most notably, Gucci created a few variants of the hat including one adorned with the Gucci monogram and others with the various Gucci logos on the side of the hat. All of these collections were widely successful and the strategy was consistent through all of the brands. Change the design just enough so you respect the heritage but you can see your brand’s DNA.
The ubiquity of the Yankees hat ushered in a new era of creatives. Moodboard accounts that started to dabble in clothing production began to make their own iterations. OldManAlan is a popular creator on Instagram that plays on topical designs. His Yankees hat kicked off a wave of Yankees collaborations. His initials are OMA, similar to MoMa’s moniker, and he embroidered this on the side of the hat. Additionally, on the panel he embroidered "I DON'T WATCH BASEBALL I JUST REALLY LIKE THIS HAT.” There is something very gestural and artistic about this, almost reminiscent of classic NYC souvenir tee shirts. This was OMA’s first product and now he has a wide range of well-selling accessories and tees. Similarly, a favorite of rappers & athletes alike, the NY-based brand Sinclair first started appearing on moodboard accounts with their incredibly unique take on the Yankees logo. Now the brand is known for a wide range of highly coveted cut and sew pieces and is worn by many celebrities (Sinclair uniquely embodies the celebrity first strategy).
A lower Manhattan-centric meme account called ‘Nolita Dirtbag’ launched their very own Yankees hat (and my personal favorite). Initially, the promo started as a meme where the account posted about the countless variations and iterations of Yankees hats and they sought to create the perfect hat combining all these elements. The result was a gorgeous, fun piece of headwear who’s layers of symbolism create a really special product that serves as a time capsule for menswear today. When Louis Tiffany of Tiffany & Co created the iconic Yankees’ logo in 1877, he had no idea of the future cultural merit of what he made. It’s certain that the Yankees hat is not going anywhere and will continue to be a part of a key brand collaboration strategy.
