‘T here’s fewer more distressing sights than that of an Englishman in a baseball cap,” hollered Pete Doherty on the Libertines’ 2002 single Time for Heroes . What a difference a couple of decades make. While headgear stalwarts and cool streetwear brands such as Stetson, New Era and Kith have long championed baseball caps, now labels hailing from the boulevards of Paris and vias of Milan are putting a highbrow spin on them.
“Luxury brands have elevated the baseball cap with their craftsmanship and design standards,” says David Morris, buying manager at Mr Porter . “Key to their success are the fabrication and using the best materials.” High-end labels are bringing a sense of luxury to something that was once the province of merchandising and corporate goodie bags.
Dior has caps in houndstooth check wool and denim, and singer-songwriter Pharrell Williams has applied his urban sensibility at Louis Vuitton , where he is men’s creative director, to produce bold, tongue-in-cheek designs..
