Interestingly, up until the early 1960s, men pretty much wore the same style of hat, but today, almost anything goes. Women, too, have always loved headwear as a fashion accessory to punctuate their outfit. And like their male counterparts, those styles have changed rather dramatically too.
While top hats and pillboxes may never come back, headwear, especially for the promotions market, is rife with styles, fabrications, colors and patterns that can be perfectly suited to any individualized marketing/promotional campaign.
“Headwear as a promotional item has been, and continues to be, one of the most popular items in the promotional products industry,” asserts Gary Mosley of Kati Sportcap. “Styles come and go, but as a category, it is strong."
In fact, headwear has grown so popular for individual – and team – expression, that supplier MV Sport saw it as a pathway to future grown and last year purchased THE GAME Headwear brand. The company introduced the new headwear line at PPAI this year, and “we see promotional headwear as a tremendous opportunity for THE GAME,” says Charlie McGuinness of MV Sport. “Trends in the headwear category rely heavily on trends in college and professional sports. However, right now, performance fabrics are extremely popular in apparel and headwear. We have both categories covered with MV Sport performance T's and sweatshirts and THE GAME Headwear,” he adds.
Another recent evolution is regional styles going national. Dave Porter of Sportsman Cap & Bag reports seeing strong camo sales outside the South, where the style has traditionally done well. Even in Los Angeles and other parts of the country, Sportsman’s sales of camo caps have been strong. And, just as camo is in much demand outside the South, knit caps – a traditional northern headwear – are being sported in warmer climates.
Additionally, more than ever in the past few years, “Popular culture has evolved and headwear has evolved along with it,” Porter observes. “Hip-hop, millennial and youth fashionista cultures are drivers of the evolution. When current pop icons like Justin Bieber or Taylor Swift wear a certain type of cap in their videos, you see that cap everywhere you go. At convenience stores, shopping malls, sporting events and music venues, it becomes the uniform of young people.”
The third evolutionary point seen by Porter is that suppliers are now offering more variety of colors to meet demand for headwear matching the colors of favorite sports teams. “Businesses do not need to have team licenses to show team colors, therefore, promotional products distributors can sell headwear in the colors of local college and major-league sports teams to corporate and retail buyers.”
Current headwear trends reflect these evolutionary points. McGuinness uses an MV Sport current best-seller to exemplify what's hot now. The Ultralight Performance Boonie is 100 percent polyester Ultralight fabric and features UV30 sun protection. This style is available in 18 colors (solid and two-tone colors) and in Realtree or desert camo patterns. “It’s an in-stock item and we can ship non-decorated within 24 hours,” he promises. “We also offer embroidery services and can ship decorated headwear within 10 days.”
Mosley observes that neon accents remain strong, and sales for neon caps have been accelerating for the last six to 12 months. “Low profile, unstructured caps are back in the retail scene. That will ultimately translate to the promotions industry,” he predicts.
New for 2016 from Kati is style LC5M in a wide variety of mesh back colors, which, notes Mosley, provides a fresh look at classic camo. This structured cotton twill cap has mid-profile, six-panel construction and mesh side and back panels. It sports a pre-curved visor and a matching undervisor. A matching camo Velcro® closure ensures comfortable fit. It's available in Realtree all purpose pink/pink, Realtree all purpose pink/brown, Realtree all purpose/brown, Realtree all purpose/tan, Realtree hardwoods/black, and game guard/brown.
Kati’s nod to the neons is an eye-catching style S101T the Unstructured Trucker Sandwich with soft mesh. This trucker cap is made of brushed cotton and soft mesh with mid-profile, six-panel construction. The pre-curved visor has a contrasting sandwich and top stitch. The tri-glide buckle closure allows for comfortable fit. It is now offered in three new color combinations: charcoal/neon pink, charcoal/neon orange, and charcoal/neon yellow. These join 14 additional color combos, including navy/stone, orange/white, and pink camo/white. “New mesh colors also include many team colors, which is a very easy tie-in for school promotions,” Mosley points out.
Camo headwear is Sportsman’s and Kati’s strongest seller. Their various camo caps’ sales are so popular, says Porter, that the suppliers continue to seek exciting and new camo colors and patterns to introduce. “Hunting is corporate American’s number-one sport, and distributors must have enough camo to meet the demand. Attractive options such as pink camo and camo knit caps are sought after by non-hunters and worn by hunters in the off season.”
Further, the new neons are being paired with camo. And sales for neon are strong, Porter points out. “Not only are more workers making sure they’re highly visible while on the job, but the trend-setters love the neon look as a bold, interesting fashion statement.”
For those engaged in activities in which perspiration and a hot head are deterrents, headwear with performance features and fabrics are preferred. “Some of our most popular performance caps have moisture-wicking features and are breathable. They keep the wearer cool, comfortable and dry, and they don’t impede their ability to perform,” Porter says.
Soft-mesh trucker caps look retro enough to be cool and are practical enough for all who wear them. They’ve gone from a go-to trucker or farmer cap to being the headwear of choice for festival goers and outdoor lovers.
For youth markets, fat bill caps – worn straight on, off to one side or backwards – are sought after by teens following popular culture because of their crisp, modern look. “These caps convey the buoyant hip-hop and fashionista cultures.”
New from Sportsman Cap & Bag is Outdoor Cap Camo with Neon Cap (CNM100M), which, says Porter, combines three of the hot headwear trends for 2016 – camo, neon and mesh back. Made of 60% cotton/40% polyester, brushed twill front, and 100 percent polyester mesh back, it has a pre-curved visor. It features a structured, mid- to low-profile, six-panel build and a Velcro® closure with camo brand woven loop label over back arch. Available in three patterns/colors: Mossy Oak Infinity/blaze orange, Realtree Xtra/neon yellow and Mossy Oak Infinity/neon pink.
Remember, there's a head for every cap!
CASE STUDY: Charlie McGuinness of MV Sport: We recently sold the Boonie hat to a distributor for their large corporate client. The company was holding a sales meeting at a resort and many activities involved being outdoors for an extended period of time. With everyone aware of the harmful effects of the sun, the Boonie hat kept them covered and protected!