What do you think of when describing 90s hats? This era was a time to behold when it came to fashion. From bomber jackets and Timberlands to chain wallets and scrunchies. In addition to these clothing styles, the 90s had some unique headgear to reminisce about. It was all about the blossom and baseball hats plus lots more. Some may be considered dead in today’s fashion, while others are resurfacing such as bucket hats!
Stick around to learn more about popular hat styles in the 90s.
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90s Starter Hats
Nothing brings back nostalgia like 90s starter hats. You may remember these hats from the quirky ad featuring DJ Jazzy Jeff and comedian, Rodney Dangerfield.
For some throwback, you flip the hat, then you raise the hat, then you slam the hat, then you spin the hat, then you smooth the hat.
The founder of Starter, David Beckerman, saw that most people then wore their hats flipped. That’s when he decided to add the logo at the back so it shows at the front. This logo placement was the first of its kind back then.
Overall, starter hats were a hit in the 90s, especially for sports enthusiasts. Nevertheless, the brand fell due to several factors such as sports strikes which hurt Starter’s sales.
Blossom Hat 90s
Blossom hats were a pretty addition to every 90s girls’ hat collection. The hat made it seem like you were frolicking in a sunny garden, picked a flower, and decided to place it on your hat.
We owe this creation to Blossom Russo played by Mayim Bialik in the popular 90s show, “Blossom.”
That being so, the light hat gives a softer and more feminine appearance compared to other hats. Aside from that, blossom hats came in multiple sizes and appearances.
Straw Blossom Hat
Blossom’s straw floral hat was ideal for a 90s summery getaway. This hat is adorned with lots of small and colorful stitched flowers. It brings out any summer dress you decide to wear.
90s Grunge Hat
If you were a Nirvana or Pearl Jam fan, then you may have donned the grunge style in the 90s. No grunge outfit is complete without its complementary hat. It could be a beanie, boater hat, or even a witch hat.
As long as you looked like you came out of a thrift store, you’ll achieve that grunge look. Additionally, the style emphasized oversized apparel, which applies to headwear. Low-hanging hats and beanies were a signature grunge style.
On top of hats, bandanas were also in the grunge headwear section. You can pair the beanie or bandana with a plaid flannel, tank top, some ripped jeans or tights, and combat boots for the classic look.
90s Nickelodeon Hat
If you were a 90s kid, then shows like “Hey, Arnold!”, “Rugrats,” and “Rocko’s Modern Life” were memorable parts of your childhood. Every kid had a favorite show. You may have been able to showcase your love for that show with a Nickelodeon hat.
Nickelodeon sold numerous hat merch for its fans ranging from “Spongebob Squarepants” to “Angry Beavers” options.
Malcolm X Hat 90s
Malcolm X, originally, was a social activist during the 50s and 60s. His name became brand-popular after Spike Lee’s “Malcolm X” movie release. Afterward, caps with an X in the middle gained more footing in fashion.
Lee signed an agreement with a clothing company to sell the Malcolm X caps as a means to promote social awareness. Nonetheless, the awareness leaned more toward becoming a trend, especially among teenagers.
Having said that, the hats were meant to become a social symbol of the activist. On the other hand, as companies began to sell the X hats, the awareness message lost some significance.
90s 5 Panel Hat
Although most 90s fashion trends are deemed questionable in today’s scene, some have stood the test of time. One of them is the panel hat. This sort of hat is synonymous with snapback caps.
Caps have two side panels and two back ones which equals four panels. In terms of the front, there are three different panel styles, namely, 5, 6, and 7-panel caps. The most popular in the 90s was the 5-panel option.
This means that there’s one large front panel. This space can accommodate large logos and designs.
90s NBA Hats
The 90s saw a surge in NBA popularity. With this growing fame, it’s only natural that clothing companies sold basketball team merch hats.
Several sports fans wore these merch hats to represent their favorite team. You could find Chicago Bulls, LA Lakers, or New York Knicks hats.
90s Neon Hat
If you’re trying to grab everyone’s attention in the 90s, a neon hat ought to help. This bright hat was ideal for partygoers and rave lovers.
Otherwise, you could wear this hat if you don’t want to get lost from your friends at a party. Aside from that, 90s neon hats came in several styles. For instance, some had a rainbow blended, gradient color scheme.
Others had block neon colors that were divided into parts in the front, back, and bill of the cap. This style had several neon color variations.
90s Stussy Hat
Stussy was initially a brand dealing with surfwear attire. Once the 90s hit, the brand shifted to a more hip-hop trend, where Stussy hats became popularized.
These hats were and are still considered luxury streetwear. One of the brand’s bestselling hats is a cap with the graffiti-style logo imprinted at the front.
Bucket Hats
Bucket hats were a critical part of 90s hat fashion. The history of this hat involved fishermen and farmers. The 90s band Oasis brought this trend to mainstream fashion. Other bucket hat 90s trendsetters included Rakim, Ghostface Killah, and Damon Dash.
Besides the 90s, bucket hats have become a trend of recent interest. Celebrities like Cara Delevigne and Vanessa Hudgens were seen in a fuzzy variation of the hat. Fuzzy bucket hats may be in style nowadays due to their Y2K style.
Other celebs like Justin Bieber and Dua Lipa have also taken a liking to the 90s style headwear. Nonetheless, it’s worth crediting this old style to the rapper, LL Cool J since he wore the hat in the mid-80s and it gained more notoriety during the early 90s.
Dad Hats
Take a look at some old 90s photos in your album and search for your dad’s picture. You’ll likely see him wearing a dad hat. These hats were curved at the bill and were made of either canvas or cotton material.
Nowadays, you can see these caps worn by major singers and influencers such as Rihanna, Kylie Jenner, and Gigi Hadid. With that in mind, you may want to ask your dad for some future fashion tips.
Trucker Hats
This list wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the trucker hats. These hats are basically oversized caps with a mesh back cover.
They were everywhere in the 90s, giving people a fresh look as well as an excuse to cover their bad hair day. Like bucket hats, trucker caps are also resurfacing in today’s fashion trends.
You can spot celebrities like Travis Scott and Justin Bieber wearing these bad boys.
Collegiate Caps
If you were into that preppy style back in the 90s, then chances are, you had a collegiate cap lying around in your closet. These caps were a combination of dad and trucker caps in terms of shape.
Their signature style is the university logo at the front. Collegiate caps were mainly worn to represent a college sports team. They were worn by several celebrities in the 90s such as Leonardo DiCaprio and Dr. Dre.
Leather Hats
There was no shortage of biker-style outfits in the 90s. A biker outfit always needs to include some sort of leather element. More often than not, it’s usually a leather jacket. Aside from jackets, some bikers may have sported some leather hats.
Interestingly, leather hats came in all sorts of designs such as regular baseball leather caps and leather 8-panel newsboy caps.
Visors
They’re caps but without the top part. Visors are commonly found in 90s sports settings. They’re ideal if you want to shield your eyes from the sun but also want more comfort around your head.
Visors seem to be getting a comeback in sports, specifically tennis. The 90s hat is commonly worn by professional tennis player, Serena Williams. Speaking of which, the cap is perfect for curly heads who want the shade but also want to tie their hair up.
Rounding up our 90s hat
It wouldn’t be a 90s outfit without a hat. Luckily, there were numerous kinds of hats to fit every style, whether it was grungy, preppy, or sporty.
These hats were especially hyped by 90s pop culture such as TV shows like The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Blossom.
Having said that, some of the 90s hats may have lost their touch, but others are still going strong and flourishing in today’s trends.
