The story of the bucket hat
Image Credit: The Style Historian.
When I think about the bucket hat, I think about a guy in high school.
The year was 2005, and they absolutely had fallen from grace.
It seemed a pragmatic decision for him, keeping the sun out and awkwardly pairing it with his ensemble of thrifted tees and jeans – a clear departure from the preppy Hollister and Abercrombie image that had the early aughts Y2K in a chokehold.
(My nose could still identify Abercrombie ‘body spray’ in a blind testing today, I’m sure.)
He was doing it all “before it was cool” – many years later I saw him when the trend had started falling back into the mainstream – his hat nowhere to be found, now that everyone was wearing them, he wasn’t interested.
But isn’t that always the case with the actual trendsetters?
The origins
Along with colour photography and flavoured potato chips, Ireland is also credited with creating the infamous bucket hat.
Sources generally agree that it was the Irish farmers and fisherman in the 1900s who first started reppin’ the infamous bucket hat for purely pragmatic reasons.
Originally made from wool felt or tweed cloth – the lanolin (the same material from the OG uggs) from the raw wool made them naturally waterproof.
Alongside being easy to clean and easy to store, the brim protected the back of workers’ necks while also blocking out the rain from their eyes, quickly becoming a symbol for the working class.
Enter the British
But given the hats’ durability in bad weather, it wasn’t long before they caught the attention of the upper class British, who began wearing bucket hats while hunting, fishing, playing sports or during their walks in the English countryside.
Gaining more international notoriety in WWII, it is believed soldiers started wearing a new version of the hat to again help manage the elements, which folded over into the Vietnam War, with an olive drab cotton fabric version issued to American soldiers.
Along comes style
But the 1960s is when the bucket hat first started to become a real style choice – with the introduction of mod culture, a movement beginning in the UK associated with a love of music and unique fashion styles.
Popular with women, the ‘60s bucket hat had a wider brim, a longer top and was common among other styles such as pillbox hats. It was also made from felt or stiffer fabrics to match the style at the time.
Image Credit: 1960s Vintage Yves Saint Laurent Eggshell Felt Bucket Hat with Embellishment, via 1stdibs.com
Best known for Fear and Loathing in Las Vegas, American journalist and author Hunter S. Thompson is also credited with wearing a cotton bucket hat – the same iconic look Johnny Depp wears in the 1998 iteration of the film.
Image Credit: Hunter S. Thompson via Pinterest
But it was really the late 1970s’ influence of the breakdancing and hip-hop scene in the Bronx that started the bucket hat’s meteoric rise.
Colliding with the worldwide phenomena of hip hop in the 1980s, the bucket hat became a symbol of urban culture and expression, worn by both artists and fans.
Artists like LL Cool J and Missy Elliot were synonymous with the bucket hat – the hats now seen in movies, music videos, with athletic brands dropping their own versions.
Image Credit: LL Cool J via Pinterest
By the 1990s, bucket hats were at the height of their success – permeating audiences globally from dads to teens. This is also when fuzzy bucket hats came into play, and we also began to see a huge uptake within the rave scene.
And another big 90s bucket hat influencer was none other than Liam Gallagher of Oasis (can anyone reading this play Wonderwall?).
Image Credit: ‘90s Liam Gallagher via Pinterest
As Y2K panic rolled in, the bucket hat fell from grace. They were mocked and dismissed in fashion circles - though Prada tried to revive them in 2005 with a slimmed out version in peacock feathers at its Spring/Summer 2005 runway.
Image Credit: Prada Spring/Summer 2005 via crfashionbook.com | Getty Images, no copyright intended
However, it wasn’t that long before people started wearing bucket hats again.
It also probably helped that Rhianna began wearing them.
Image Credit: Rhianna at the M$$ X WT premiere via Elle Magazine
Her BFF Melissa Forde dropped her own line of bucket hats in 2015, called M$$ X WT, which Rhianna modelled at the premiere.
According to some fashion writers, it wasn’t until 2018 when designers (Louis Vuitton, Valentino) started showcasing bucket hats in their runways again.
Since then, it’s been Rhianna’s the bucket hat’s world and we’re just living in it.
The cultural movement of fashion
Much like the crocs we used to laugh at, I’m still in disbelief by the rizz of the bucket hat.
That said, the story of the bucket hat is a testament to how fashion reflects the cultural changes and shifts, how we adapt and evolve – resiliency over time. It also probably helps that they’re so utilitarian.
We know fast fashion is a problem for the planet, but this story also makes me pause and wonder – with the trends we see today sped up so quickly, sold to us online through links and then forgotten in discount bins and closets weeks later, is there even time for current trends to even reflect cultural changes anymore?
Or is the entire notion of our society moving towards a culture so fast – more is more, that cultural significance no longer plays a role in the starring show of consumerism?
I don’t know if there’s a right answer – in my research of style histories so far, it’s often a major movement or historical event that has catapulted a style mainstream. Today, it seems like everything and nothing is in style all at the same time.
But I’ll keep observing and writing, in the meantime.
Until next time,
- TSH xx
Thank you again for joining me – I can’t believe this is our fourth instalment. As always, I so appreciate you being here with me. Let me know what style you want to hear about next!
Sources: PanamaJack.com, Wikipedia – Bucket Hat, TheWrapLife, The Guardian.com, Cheetateamwear.com, Wikipedia – Hunter S Thompson, Vibe.com, crfashionbook.com