5 panel hats have dominated the street-wear culture for several years now. Five panels are known for their five individual pieces of material that each cater for an individual region of the head. This makes for a stylish and fashionable hat, but also a nice fitting one, with most hats featuring an adjustable buckle or clip at the back. Street-wear brands such as Supreme, HUF, 10 Deep and Obey were among the first brands to jump on the bandwagon of 5 panel hats and have dominated the market ever since.
Every generation has its key fashion item. From smiley face t-shirts, to low slung wallet chains, there’s always an accessory that becomes ubiquitous. Right now, it’s hard to argue with the popularity of the 5-panel hat.
There’s little material out there documenting anything from the history to the tipping point of 5-panels. Some might trace it to the popularity of cycling caps amongst gay clubbers in Berlin and London, or indeed amongst bicycle couriers themselves who have slyly contributed a lot contemporary fashion and are generally overlooked in terms of influence, even though single-speed bikes, knee-length cut off shorts, and low, flat trainers are now part of urban style globally. For some, the 5-panels reign is an 80s and 90s throwback to when peaks on caps faced skyward, even though through the early 00s they became increasingly horizontal. For others it’s to do with adopting a skating cap with a peak that offers more visibility while you’re snotting yourself falling off a rail.