A Brief History of the Bucket Hat: Why is it so Iconic?

Zoey Yong
3 min readJul 23, 2020

--

Psst…look at the very bottom of this article for a surprise!

You see them on beach-goers’ heads as they frolic by the waves as well as on students who wish to keep up with the latest fashion trend…everywhere you go, there are people sporting bucket hats on their heads. It’s a bucket hat invasion!!! But, why do so many people find this peculiar-looking hat so attractive?

First off, what is a bucket hat? A bucket hat has a wide, downward-sloping brim and is typically made from heavy-duty cotton fabric such as denim or canvas. It can also be made with heavy wool such as tweed. “Keyholes” or metal eyelets are placed on the crown of the hat for ventilation.

Interestingly, when the Irish first invented the bucket hat in the 1900s, practicality — not aesthetics — was the goal they had in mind. These iconic hats were first worn by Irish fishermen and farmers to shield themselves from rain. The slanting design of the brim effectively kept the farmers’ faces from getting wet. Additionally, these hats were very convenient and could be easily folded and fit into a pocket. During that period of time, bucket hats were seen as useful and practical objects by the common people.

This viewpoint did not change much during World War II (1940–1941) and the Vietnam War (which started in 1954), for these hats were used to protect soldier’s necks from getting burnt by the sun. Just like many other functional pieces of equipment from the military, the bucket hat soon became a fashionable staple.

By the mid-sixties, both civilians and celebrities donned bucket hats. Some women in the sixties wore a modified version of the bucket hat that had a wider brim and enlarged crown (to contain their elaborate hairstyles of course).

In the eighties and nineties, the bucket hat was deemed as extremely fashionable. The bucket hat’s gain in popularity was credited towards cultural movements of hip hop in the United States. Numerous rappers around that period of time also swapped their beanies for bucket hats.

Nowadays, these iconic little hats can be seen on models as they prowl down fashion runways. Multiple well-known brands such as Stussy, Gucci, and Burberry have also helped promote this type of hat. Clothing brands make bucket hats of all sorts of colors, styles, and designs. Thus, this is the story of how the bucket hat first started as a shelter from the rain and turned into a hat adored by celebrities and common folks alike.

Looking for a place to buy a classy and affordable bucket hat? YesStyle is the perfect website to shop for the bucket hat of your dreams! YesStyle is packed with bucket hats of all sorts of colors and patterns! Find your bucket hat through this link: https://ystyle.co/PqWp

Don’t forget to use the code: ZZYY1123

By shopping through the link and using this code, you will get to enjoy EXTRA DISCOUNTS on your orders!

--

--

Zoey Yong
Zoey Yong

Written by Zoey Yong

0 Followers

Hi there! My passions are Fashion and Jewelry. I will be sharing the latest fashion trends as well as my personal favorites with you!