A big fashion trend in the 80s, especially in the hip hop community, was the bucket hat. If you wanted to be hip, if you wanted to wear something that gave you a bit of status, then you needed to wear a bucket hat.
These large hats looked cool, they came in lots of different styles and all the famous rappers of the time wore them.
Bucket hats didn’t only look good, they also helped to protect you from the sun and even a spot of rain. So while you were at the all-night rave, you were protected from the elements while sporting a hat that made you look cool.
Bucket Hats In The 80s
Originally worn by fisherman and farmers in Ireland, bucket hats were a big part of fashion in hip hop during the 80s and have now managed to find their way around the globe and be loved and worn by people everywhere.
The well-known 80’s rapper LL Cool J would often wear a bucket hat, as did his fans who wanted to be like him. These simple yet stylish hats were often paired with other 80s hip hop bling like dookie chains and four finger rings to create a look that was underground yet flashy.
Once bucket hats started to grow in popularity amongst hip hop artists of the time, that’s when their popularity among the masses exploded.
With bucket hats taking over hip hop and rap music, it was only a matter of time before these uniquely styled hats would go down as one of the the iconic looks of 80s fashion history.
Bucket Hats In The Street Scene
There was a time when rappers and their fans would wear bucket hats, but somehow these hats became a part of the street scene, especially among those who liked to travel and do tricks on a skate board.
If you’re out for hours in the hot, hot sun and need a hat to protect you, a bucket hat would do the job quite nicely. Because this excellent type of hat became popular on the street, new designs found their way onto the market, which meant we all had a lot more choice and that had to be a good thing.
Bands such as Run DMC started to wear bucket hats, making them even more popular among teenagers and young adults. If your favorite band wears a specific hat, chances are you’re going to want to wear one too.
Because bucket hats were often in the limelight, they almost became commonplace. You could go to just about any beach or skate park and see people of all ages wearing a bucket hat.
Bucket Hat Styles
Although a lot of people used to buy plain bucket hats that had a logo or motif at the front, there were those who made use of the different styles that began to find their way on to the market.
As well as the popular regular bucket hats, you could also buy vintage bucket hats that came with old-looking designs, furry bucket hats that were certainly quite unique, and those that came with straps or ties that meant they would stay in place and add that extra touch of ‘Cool’.
Flipped up bucket hats also started to appear on the scene. The hats weren’t any different in themselves, it’s just the peak had simply been turned up to give the wearer a better view.
Are Bucket Hats Still Popular
Bucket hats may have been made popular in the 80’s, but they found their way into the 90’s as well, thanks to them being continuously worn by our favorite rappers.
Although bucket hats are not as popular as they once were, every now and again you can spot one, because quite simply, style never goes out of fashion. Even these days popular artists from time to time are seen rocking bucket hats because it’s a style that is really timeless. And although it may be fading in popularity, bucket hats are still a stylish way to cover your head for a multitude of occasions.