Ever wondered how long we've been wearing baseball caps as a fashion accessory? Or when (and why) the first baseball caps were invented?

In this article, we're taking you on a journey into the past, sharing the evolution of the baseball cap from the early days to the modern era—and beyond.

The Early Days of the Baseball Cap

Heading back to their humble beginnings, baseball hats were initially (unsurprisingly) used by baseball players.

These hats have been around since the mid-19th century, but they barely resembled the modern baseball cap we're familiar with today. Back during their early days, they were made from wool, with flat crowns and brims that look almost comically short and floppy compared to what we're used to today.

The traditional baseball cap was primarily designed for practicality, with the Brooklyn Excelsiors being one of the first baseball teams known to wear them. The hats took on a more structured shape by the 1900s, and soon became a part of teams' uniforms.

How Baseball Caps Became a Fashion Statement

The baseball cap's journey took it from being purely practical to evolving into a fashion accessory in the second half of the 20th century.

At this point, fans started to support their teams by wearing baseball caps like their favorite players, and by the 1970s, they were officially a thing of American culture, with everyone from celebs and musicians to everyday people wearing them as part of their attire.

And then came the milestone moment: when New Era began supplying baseball caps to the whole of Major League Baseball.

Iconic Baseball Cap Styles Through the Decades

Throughout the evolution of the baseball cap, we've seen some changes in its style and design over the years.

In the 1950s and 1960s, baseball hats were fitted, with structured crowns. By the 1970s, the iconic trucker hat was introduced, with a mesh back and a foam front, and in the 1980s and 1990s, snapbacks became one of the next big fashion trends.

Flash forward to the early 2000s, and oversized fitted caps became the new craze. In more recent years, we've seen the rise in popularity of dad caps—soft hats with a curved brim and less structure, which have more of a relaxed feel.

The Influence of Sports and Pop Culture

There's no denying that sports and pop culture have both played a role in the popularity of baseball hats today.

Players used to (and do still) wear their caps even off the baseball field, encouraging their fans to do the same.

Outside of sports, we've also seen baseball caps worn by everyone from hip-hop artists like Tupac Shakur and Jay-Z to pop culture icon Will Smith in The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air and Tom Cruise in Top Gun.

Modern Trends in Baseball Caps

Baseball caps are now a must-have accessory, especially in the summer, thanks to their ability to complement an outfit and offer sun protection.

There's no one set trend in the modern baseball cap market, with designs ranging from bold and outlandish to simple and minimalist to suit every fashion sense.

Aesthetics aside, we are seeing design trends relating to sustainability, with more brands focusing on using organic cotton or recycled materials to create hats that look fashionable with a smaller environmental impact.

What’s Next for the Baseball Cap?

So, that's all you should know about the history of the baseball cap, which leads us to the question: what's next?

It seems like the evolution of the baseball cap has, by this point, run its course (after all, the current design is the most practical and versatile it's ever been). But innovation never truly stops. Our hats at Notch Gear, feature notches designed to solve the common issue of sunglasses pushing against the cap—a small but meaningful evolution in comfort and functionality.

But, as with all fashion pieces, we'll probably see some of the baseball cap designs of the past becoming trendy once again. We've already seen the resurgence of snapbacks in the past decade, and with '90s fashion being back in style once more, we're now seeing cap designs from this decade becoming popular with new crowds.

If this history lesson has got you in the mood to add to your own baseball cap collection, you'll definitely want to check out our designs at Notch Gear.