Impressions - April 2016 - 30

Short Takes: Headwear Trends
1. Technical and performance features abound.
2. Minimum order quantities (MOQs) are being reduced.
3. Low-profile and trucker caps ruled in 2015. Floral prints were strong
out of the gate but faltered by year's end. The trucker style is expected
to increase in popularity for 2016.
4. Apparel trends have trickled down into the headwear category.
5. Denim could make a comeback in 2016, much like the trucker style
did last year.
Low-profile cotton caps
also drove trends in the
headwear category last
year. Photo provided by
Heritage Sportswear.

Kim says company's popular mesh style is a
twist on the classic trucker hat, incorporating
a Flexfit sweatband on a closed-back, mesh
cap. She says with the dad-cap trend, the
promotion and decoration markets now are
being more influenced by street fashion. But,
as is widely known, trends can sometimes be
difficult to nail down.
"Fashion trends always come really suddenly
and go like the wind," Chen says. "Someone
sees someone else wearing something
different and they decide to follow. Then, when
everyone else starts sporting it, they get bored
of it and move on to something else."
Chen adds that the rise in the popularity
of trucker caps may have stemmed from a
combination of having more economical
price points, an array of styles and colorcombination possibilities, and a wide range of
decoration capabilities.
Many times, headwear experiences a
trickle-down effect from apparel trends. This
includes performance capabilities; just as they
have been increasingly incorporated into
apparel, headwear now is enjoying its fair
share, especially styles whose list of features
include the words "cool" and "dry."
"Performance fabric, for the most part, is
only suitable in a very niche market," Chen
says. "Because of its current scarcity of choice
in the market, it has potential to continue
gaining popularity."
Liu agrees. "Just like the rest of the body,
the head produces heat and sweat," she says.
"As new performance fabrics are introduced
for the apparel industry, we will continue
to look into utilizing the same fabric in
our headwear."

P.30

6. Look for the introduction of headwear styles that feature non-traditional
elements, such as wine cork.

TRUCKER STYLES AND RETAIL TRENDS

Chen says Mega Cap's floral trucker hat
was one of its best sellers in 2015, probably
because it combined most consumers' two
favorite things going into 2015: floral prints
and the trucker style.
While other developments, such as hats
with perforated laser holes, are trending, Liu
says OTTO's best seller still is the classic
trucker cap. Why? It's affordable, she says,
and is made with quality. She also says the
style is ideal for heat transfers, which is a
more affordable decoration method.
"This combination makes it the best choice
for many people to use as a promotional tool
for their business," Liu says.
Along with fabric technology, retail
trends and looks have affected headwear
in the wholesale channel, something that is
relatively unchanged from years past.

I M P R E S S I O N S M A G . C O M April 2016

"Trends are set by risk takers," Chen says.
"Someone, somewhere, will one day take a risk
and decide to try something new or different
- something no else is doing. That trend
may or may not take off; but, if it does, it will
increase demand for that style in the market."
However, Chen warns, once a trend
oversaturates the market, it will disappear just
as quickly as it began. At that point, room
is made for a new trend to arise and "shock
the market," he says.
The wholesale market follows the retail
trends, which increases the likelihood that the
end user will actually use and wear a product.
If the style currently is trending, the promotional market can see success.
"There's no point in marketing yourself on
a product that no one will use or wear," Liu
says. "There is no exposure in going that route."

OTTO's Hawaiianpattern flat visor style was
one of its more popular
headwear options in 2015.
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Impressions - April 2016

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