Types of caps

All about the shapes of caps

The history of the cap goes back to the 1960s, and is closely linked to baseball. And particularly to the Excelsiors Brooklyn team (is it a coincidence that the grocers named their store Brooklyn Fizz?). At that time the team dominated New York baseball, and was one of the first to go out and play against teams from outside the region. The players wore a revolutionary hat on their heads, with a visor much longer than the hats and berets worn at the time, which allowed them to protect their eyes from the sun during games. Their headgear also had the particularity of having a button that overhung the whole.
It wasn't until about 30 years later that caps became popular all over America, as baseball was the best way to spread the fashion.
If the term "Brooklyn Style" to define a style of caps has somewhat fallen into disuse, the Baseball Cap has remained.

While the materials used have evolved, the shapes have also changed and multiplied over time. And as the baseball cap became more and more popular, brands started to take a closer look at it. And with each brand having its own specificity, it started to get harder and harder to find your way around.

Fortunately, the grocers are there to help you!
As specialists and salesmen of caps, only American caps dedicated to major sports, they give you an overview of the different shapes they can take, so that you can be sure to know what to look for when choosing one

Summary:

• The Snapback
• The Adjustable
• The Dad Cap
• The Trucker
• The Fitted

The

Snapback Baseball cap par excellence, it has made the reputation of the brands

New Era & Mitchell and Ness. If its history is closely linked to baseball, it is now available for all NBA basketball franchises, NFL soccer, NHL field hockey, and even in the colors of pop culture heroes: Marvel superheroes, Star Wars movies ... a list that continues to grow as new Netflix series or new movies are released in theaters.
The main features of the Snapback cap are:

• A flat visor: on this baseball cap model, the visor is wide and flat
• The crown is structured: the front "panels" are rigid, and do not deform when you put it on your head
• The angle between the crown and the visor is almost 90°, making the front of the cap a kind of extension of the forehead. This also makes the cap feel imposing. And it makes it perfect for embroidering big logos on it.
• The closure and adjustment are of course the most important elements of Snapback. These caps are adjustable, they are One Size Fits All, thanks to a system of snaps on a plastic tab placed at the back of the cap. There are also scratch systems, but in this case, we speak rather of Strapback.

The Adjustable

This is the little sister of the Snapback. The difference is that the visor, instead of being flat, is curved.
This is the best selling model in stores right now, far outpacing snapback sales.
The back closure system is usually scratch or sliding buckle. It is also a One Size Fits All, which means that the models are adaptable to everyone, whatever the head size. They are available in baby, child, woman and man sizes.
The crown is also rigid, but the cut is much more in line with the skull and forehead, giving a less "Big" effect than with its big sister.
Of course, you will find all the variations, colors and materials possible for the NBA, NHL, MLB and NFL franchises. This is the model that grocers wear on a daily basis. A Chicago Bulls cap for grocer Jean-Charles, a Patriots cap for Manuel, a NY cap for grocer Heloise and a Bears cap for Marine.
If you want to offer a headwear, this is the model to choose. It is easy to wear, fits all head shapes, and most importantly the size is good for all head sizes

The Dad Cap

To put it simply, the Dad Cap, which the grocers vulgarly translate as "The Daron Cap", is an adjustable cap, but with an unstructured crown.
This unstructured crown results in a soft-looking cap that hugs the wearer's skull. It looks a little less dressy than other types of caps. To give you an idea, it looks like an adjustable cap that has been machine washed (see the article how to wash a cap), and then became soft.
Grocer Jean-Charles, whose motto is "One type of cap per occasion or activity" wears a Dad Cap when he's doing DIY or gardening.
It's clearly not a trendy cap in Europe, it's much more so in the U.S. That's because of the customer profile. In Europe, few people over 40 wear caps, while it is typically this model that Americans over 40 years old plebiscite.
Each brand of cap has its own version of the Dad Cap, at '47 the model is called Clean Up, at New Era it is the 9Twenty (or 9-20)

The

Trucker

What is a cap Trucker?

Good question! Its origin goes back to the 1960s. Popular with car salesmen, garages and other automotive specialists because it was easy and cheap (plastic mesh being cheaper than cotton) to put your logo on it, it became the "Trucker" (literally the Trucker"). It was also very popular with farmers because it was light and breathable. If you go to a Flea Market in the U.S., you'll find that there are countless John Deere caps for sale!
At first it had a rather redneck connotation, but has become more and more popular over time.
Technically it is a snapback, because it is adjustable. In the front the crown is semi-structured, and made of foam. The back of the cap is made of mesh (plastic mesh). This gives a cap that lets the head and scalp breathe (it looks like an ad for shampoo)

The

Fitted

Fitted caps are caps that are adjusted to the size of the wearer. The most famous are the 59Fifty from New Era. There is no adjustment system on it. There are, as a rule, 12 sizes (for adults) by models of caps, ranging from 6 ⅞ (54.9 cm) to 8,¼ (65.4 cm). So you need to know, when ordering, what your head size is.
The crown is rigid, and while most of the time the visor is flat, you can also find models with semi-curved visors.
Worn on the head, it has a rather imposing aspect, which does not necessarily suit everyone.
It is a model that is less and less available, and for a simple reason, it is a pain to manage in terms of stocks. You can imagine that having all the franchises in all sizes is a challenge! So the grocers stock them on the models that sell the most.
It became the ultimate fashion accessory in the 1990's and 2000's, especially with Southern rappers, Lil' Jon leading the way, followed by Lil' Wayne, T.I.P., Young Jeezy, and the list could go on and on! For a few years now, it has become more and more rare, the models closer to the head being preferred.