Wearables Trends for 2017

Lebron James of  the Cleveland Cavaliers wearing a "dad hat" at the NBA championship victory parade. This is evidence of one of Christopher Ruvo's wearables trends for 2017.

Lebron James of the Cleveland Cavaliers wearing a “dad hat” at the NBA championship victory parade. This is evidence of one of Christopher Ruvo’s wearables trends for 2017.

I’m always glad to see emails from Nicole Rollender of Wearables Now in my inbox because they are usually extremely useful and packed with information. Today’s was no exception. I want to make sure that as many people as possible read this article by Christopher Ruvo, which was originally printed in Advantages.  Extremely refreshing and well written, it’s titled Promotional Apparel Trends for 2017. He lists 17 top trends, starting with this one, “The Dad Hat is Back.” From the article:

By Christopher Ruvo: The “dad hat” is an unstructured cotton or canvas baseball cap that has a slightly curved bill and, most characteristically, a strap back. The term was originally pejorative – a way fashion-forward millennials who liked flat-bill caps could mock uncool, outdated hats dads wore to Little League games and barbecues.

Well, now it seems the dad hat is getting the last laugh. From counter-culture hipsters to college kids, skateboarders to major celebrities, a cross-section of fashion-conscious people are donning the formerly unhip hats. Indeed, style luminary Lebron James even sported one during the Cleveland Cavaliers NBA championship victory parade.

For distributors, the dad hat trend means that clients targeting a younger demographic can use the caps to appeal to end-users. Potential buyers include schools, universities, fraternities, sororities, musical acts, drink brands, concert venues and more. Plus, the dad hat is likely to carry continued appeal to the people who unwittingly gave the accessory its name: Dads and other adults north of 30.

I hope you’ll take the time to read the rest of the article. Christopher, thank you for your insight and predictions. Nicole, thanks for the email.

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6 comments

  1. Danny says:

    Excellent article!
    The big question is … which brand has a dad hat to use with a heat press? For example, will SanMar have any of this style available?

    Thanks!

  2. Ted says:

    Danny,
    Thanks for reading. Josh Ellsworth of StahlsTV responded to your inquiry with this information:
    Otto Cap is a great source for this and has assembled a complete section under this category: https://ottocap.com/products/dad-hat.html

    I’d say this style is closest to the one worn by LeBron: https://ottocap.com/products/dad-hat/garment-washed-cotton-twill-low-profile-pro-style-caps.html

    The great thing about this trend is that heat printing is perfect! There is no fused buckram to deal with, so it’s very easy to load and print on a Hotronix Cap Press. We’ll plan to do a video on the trend for our December 30th class focused on trends we’re expecting in 2017: https://attendee.gotowebinar.com/register/1071401890924923908

  3. Danny says:

    Sr. Ted! Thank you for your replying! I have a Hotronix Cap Press and I’m very happy with it! I’m a fan of the caps. Here in Puerto Rico is a bit slower this market. But I’m still looking for alternatives and this article helped me a lot.! Thanks for sharing.

  4. Hi, Can you tell me where I can purchase the short sleeve sweatshirts from the video? Thanks.

  5. Ted says:

    Barbara, it’s not the exact sweatshirt but you can try SanMar,
    Alternative® Rehearsal Short Sleeve Pullover Sweatshirt. AA2823
    Thanks for reading!

  6. Thanks. i am looking into it.

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