Mariam Nihal Saudi Gazette JEDDAH – Everyone loves nostalgia as much as they love a challenge. One thing that's remained the same has been the hat. Everyone wears one. Jay-Z's iconic image is a Yankee cap promised with all black everything leitmotif. The NY is an ode to New York a reminder to the world, that he won't forget his roots. When Jay-Z said: “I made the Yankee hat more famous than a Yankee can” he only reiterates the fact how power play is such an imperative facet of the game. Or of course how he accentuated the brand faster than any contemporary ever could. Baseball hats have been around for longer than you can remember. Take a walk down the streets of any city or venue and you'll notice hats adorned by the different sects and cults. Steve Angello, Swedish DJ and producer (of Swedish House Mafia fame) has an unrelenting passion for hats, despite his usual NY's his favorite is definitely DOSES. Omar Basaad, Saudi EDM producer and DJ, Instagrams his collection of NY hats and customized designs highlighting his stirring musical experiences. Alongside his music label OVO, rapper Drake uses Blue Jays and Toronto as a signature style statement along with other influences on hats. Lets not forget hats are foremost fashionable, functional and fun. Gone are the days when the initiation was formed for the blue-collar laborers who needed to keep their hair back or protection from the sun or cold winds. Musicians, actors, and athletes on front pages of the top magazines around the world, are seen sporting their seasonal look. Thanks to a bevy of hip-hop artists and designers' renewed interest in the wide brim hats, you can see many celebrities stepping out in their chic styles. All it takes is a hat paired with the right attitude to set your look. Both local and international designers in the Middle East are sending their models down the runway with sporty and sophisticated looks of Kenzo, Gucci and many more. Celebrities like Rihanna have made it a style statement for younger fans that embrace street culture (now turned into extravaganza) thanks to the singer. A few of the popular names in popular hat culture are New Era Cap Company, Raiders, Brooklyn Nets, Lakers, Miami Heat, Paisleeltd, Givenchy, Jay Z's new Just Don collection, Lids, Touche+KVLT, Bulls, Kings, Chicago, Orlando Magic among many others. For those skeptical and cynical of the approach, all it takes is a bolder perspective because regardless of age, hats have been able to bridge the gap between racial sports, lineage and nationalities. It is a fad that brings people together despite industrial and cultural differences. What used to be primarily baseball's, was embraced by Hip Hop lovers, now hats are a primal tool to make a statement by electronic music lovers to every fashionista around the globe. Best paired with Jordans or even heels, hats allow you to decentralize the authority given to a certain culture. Most DJ's, F1 players, singers, graffiti artists and designers are part of cultivating a society that enjoys celebrating life together.
