The culture behind one of fashion’s most recognized statements.
When it comes to fitted hats nobody knows more than Pierre Morin, aka The Capped Wonder. Pierre boasts a collection of over 11,000 fitted hats, from authentic “on-field caps” worn by the pros, to fashion and theme inspired lids that feature every color under the sun and cover every pop culture hook imaginable. The Capped Wonder is easily one of the most recognizable figures in the fitted hat world, and his passion for collecting, wearing, and designing hats has turned him and his brand into a force of nature within the community. The Youtube channel “Views from the Vault”, which Morin co-hosts with friends and fellow hat collectors Jason (Hat Crawler), and Leon (Honourable Menchen), has over 22k subscribers, 12k videos, and 3 million views, making it one of the most productive and successful vlog series in the fitted hat realm. The series delves into the ever growing culture of fitted hat collecting that has created its own subculture online, and has generated a legitimate interest in buying, selling, and collecting hats, rivaling that of shoe collectors and the “sneakerhead” phenomenon.
So how and why have fitted hats, commonly referred to as “fitteds”, become such an iconic staple of fashion collectors? The short answer: a fitted hat is a statement, and what you wear on your head says something about you. Most fitteds you’ll see being worn are New Era 59Fifty’s, the official cap of Major League Baseball, and easily the most recognizable name brand in fitted hats. New Era boasts the tagline “The Cap the Pros Wear” and has become synonymous with officially licensed hats of the MLB, NFL, and NBA. If you own a fitted hat, there’s a good chance it’s a 59Fifty, and what hat you wear says something about you. Perhaps it’s your favorite team, or the city you live in; maybe it’s just a cool hat that goes with the shirt you’re wearing. Whatever the reason, wearing a fitted is a fun way to demonstrate your fandom or city pride, and like choosing the right pair of sneakers, a fitted hat can elevate your outfit from fashionable to personal.
I’ve worn fitted hats for a very, very long time. The first one I ever owned was a Boston Red Sox 2004 World Series hat, sized 7 ⅛, which my dad bought for me while on a business trip to Beantown in the late fall of ’04. The Sox had just won their first World Series in over 80 years, ending the infamous “Curse of the Bambino”, and ushering in a new chapter of Major League Baseball. My dad, a huge baseball fan and Red Sox sympathizer (his family ties to the Bay Area made him a Giants fan), was more than happy to celebrate the massive achievement of the New England franchise. I remember asking him before he went on his trip to bring me back something, thinking I’d get a t-shirt or toy (I was 9 at the time); instead I got my first fitted hat, complete with an ’04 World Series side patch, and my first taste of what it was like to own a fitted.
I wore the crap out of that hat; played in it, wrote my name on it, even fell asleep in it, all because I thought it was the coolest thing ever. It fit my head perfectly — somehow my dad knew exactly what size to get — and I was the only kid I knew who had a hat just like the pros wore. When it came time to play little league baseball the next year I hoped to be picked to play for our league’s Red Sox — each team in shared the moniker of a professional team — and I was going to wear that hat to every practice and game, being the only player who didn’t wear a dopey looking hat with no structure and a velcro strap on the back. I would’ve looked like a pro, and obviously would have played like one too. Unfortunately for me I was picked to play for the Braves that year, and unless my dad was taking a trip to Atlanta sometime soon, I’d have to wear the same hat as everyone else.
Coincidentally the Capped Wonder is a Red Sox fan, and like my dad was raised in Connecticut, a state with no professional sports team of its own outside of the now defunct Hartford Whalers (NHL). Pierre likely had to choose between rooting for the Red Sox to the north, or the Yankees to the south, and perhaps like my father, couldn’t stomach cheering for the evil empire hailing from the Bronx. As it turns out Pierre also owns a Red Sox 2004 World Series hat, which according to him, is his favorite hat. It says something that a person who owns over 11,000 caps could have one undeniable favorite, and says even more about what that hat means to him. It’s not a stretch to say that the 2004 World Series is the biggest victory the Red Sox organization has ever orchestrated, and therefore is probably the favorite memory of many Sox fans that were around to see it. Owning a piece of history is what collecting memorabilia is all about, and in the world of fitted hats, where memorabilia meets fashion, the historical value of a hat gives context and appeal to a collection.
Nowadays most fitteds you’ll see include a commemorative patch adorned on one of its side panels, commonly known as a side patch. These patches tend to include one of the following: World Series appearance, All-Star Game host, Inaugural Season, Team Anniversary, Stadium Memorial, and are directly linked to a time period for each team. Some of the best and most popular side patches I’ve seen include the All-Star Game patches of the 2000 Atlanta Braves, 1999 Boston Red Sox, and 1959 Pittsburgh Pirates; the World Series (winners only) of the 2001 Arizona Diamondbacks and 1999 New York Yankees; the Seattle Mariners 30th and 40th Anniversary; and the Inaugural Season of the 1998 Diamondbacks and 1993 Florida Marlins. Side patches breathe new life into a collection, and conjure up vivid memories of some of the most iconic players, series, and time periods in baseball’s lush history.
Due to their popularity, most collectors prefer hats with side patches, steering clear of “plain Janes” (no side patch), and exclusively buy MLB products. However, collectors such as Pierre are unafraid to dabble in fitted hats from other leagues, such as the NBA, NFL, and MiLB (Minor League Baseball). It’s all personal taste, but the hype surrounding MLB hats w/ side patches have created a frenzy much like the Jordan Air 1’s, Nike Air Max, and Adidas Yeezy’s. Purists have their strict guidelines, and retailers may choose oblige, but some of the coolest hats I’ve ever seen and owned don’t fall in this category; one of the best hats I’ve ever owned was a Fresno Grizzlies on-field cap, all-black plain Jane, featuring a picture of grizzly bear throwing a baseball off a pitcher’s mound. Simple, yet gorgeous. And minor league teams have some of the coolest logos around, as many teams play in smaller markets and must cater to families, lending to logos that can range from cartoonish and colorful, to historically significant (see the Durham Tobacconists & Lake Elsinor Storm).
Finally, there’s really only one rule when collecting fitted hats: no black under visors. Also known as “black nasty’s”, hats with black “UVs” are exclusively on-field caps, and mark a shift in hat culture that saw consumers stray away from on-field caps for more fashion friendly apparel. When I was a kid in the early 00’s, all MLB teams wore hats with gray under visors, and before that green was the official color of UVs across the league. Green and gray conjure up feelings of nostalgia amongst hat lovers because they act as a timestamp, linked to a period in time where many collectors first fell in love with buying hats. Like most things the preferred color of an under visor is subjective, and I happen to have a few of these black nasty’s in my collection. The only reason I can see why these are so condemned is the fact that black material shows wear more easily (when sweat dries it leaves a white stain), and many collectors began buying hats when under visors were still green and gray.
All in all, collecting hats is a hobby and passion that has picked up steam over the last few years. Collectors such as the Capped Wonder have been doing it much longer, but a cultural shift has taken place that’s seen hats be put on the same pedestal as sneakers. So while collecting hats is an expensive hobby, if you’re like me, there’s just no end to it; it’s an endless journey of discovery and expression, one that has spawned a community all over the globe. And one last thing: you don’t need to like the team to wear the hat.