Kangol -The Iconic Hat with the Kangaroo

Back in 1983 when I was a teenager. My family moved back to the East Coast from California. My father was looking for a place to open up a street fashion clothing store again. My Uncle who stayed in the streetwear business told my father about these fantastic hats that were selling like hotcakes that had a kangaroo on them. The name was Kangol. Never heard about them myself because I never saw anyone wear one or been to the golf course, I found it odd that a golf course hat like Kangol became a huge smash in the streetwear world. All it takes is one Celebrity to put something different on his head like a Kangol hat and boom. Next thing you see is everybody and their mother wearing one. They were worn with both streetwear as well as mens linen pants and shirt sets depending on how old you were.

Branding was and still is very important. The one thing that makes the brand stand out like a Kangol is the iconic kangaroo logo on the hat. No other cap had such an iconic brand displayed on the outside of their hat. It sort of was like what Ralph Lauren did with Polo. Put a well-branded Logo on the outside so everybody can see it. I remember how important that was for anyone wearing one to have that Kangaroo displayed prominently. It had to be worn just so. That is how important this hat brand was when it came out in the streets. Guys started buying Kangol hats in every color to match everything they wore. Talk about Success. I don't think the founders of the company could have ever imagined the success that their little golf course hat would have on the streets.