We are about to take delivery of our first order of Kangol hats for children which enthuses us no end. It is a brand which is familiar to us all and it’s logo is instantly recognisable. The brand, in recent years (okay, 20 years ago!) has been brought to the fore by musicians such as The Beastie Boys and James Todd Smith, better known as LL Cool J, but it has a rich history which we thought that you might be interested in.
In 1918, after WW1, Jaques Spreiregen returned to civilian life and set himself up in business as an importer of Basque berets from France. Marketing them as a post war must have, fashion item, Jaques became increasingly involved in the production and distribution of berets over the next 20 years. In 1938, with many imitators, Jaques created the brand Kangol to distinguish his headwear from that of the competition. The most widely believed theory on the origins of the
name is that Jaques combined the K from knitting, the ANG from angora and the OL from wool.
Officially born in Cleator, Cumbria, Kangol provided berets for the British army in WW2, most noteably for General Bernard Montgomery and also for the British Olympic Team in 1948.
The swinging sixties saw the brand go global and was adopted by The Beatles and included in collections by Pierre Cardin and Mary Quant. In the early eighties Graham Smith designed a range of hats for the British Airways cabin crew. Infact, in 1983 Princess Diana appeared in Vogue wearing one of his creations. This was also the year in which the kangaroo was incorporated into the logo. Many suggestions were made for the graphic, but as the Americans had been going into stores asking for ‘kangaroo’ hats, it was decided not to fight it.
Sported by the likes of Eric B and Rakim, Slick Rick, Grand Master Flash and the aforementioned LL Cool J, Kangol became synonymous with the label touting Hip Hop generation. Kangol caps and hats became the essential accessory in this rising sub culture of designer desirable labels. Almost overnight the ’504′ became the cool fashion accessory.
Today Kangol produces a wide range of head wear which transcends generations and cultures. Not just Hip Hop, not just heritage. Kangol is a fashion fusion, taking the very best of British heritage and retro hip hop to create a fashion forward brand. Here at Mash n Gravy we would like to introduce a new generation of stylish little people to this iconic brand.
Schools out!
We’re being over run by plushies here at Mash n Gravy HQ. Blabla Boogaloo’s are about to land…
It was evident from the inception of Mash n Gravy that we had a Multitude of labels in store all beginning with the letter M.
