Kids Caps with Surf Style

Kids caps have long been one of the most popular wardrobe staples for tweens to experiment with and express their personal style.

The modern day range of colours, styles, fabrics, branding and slogans that kids caps are available in cater to almost every style aesthetic…but that hasn’t always been the case.

Before we introduce you to Bon+Co’s modern surf style kids caps, let’s take a quick look back at how the humble cap came to be the most popular choice for headwear on the planet.  

From Baseball Hats to Kids Caps: A Brief History

From functional use on American baseball fields to symbols of status and style on the streets, the cap has come a long way in it’s 160 year style evolution.

In 1858, the Brooklyn Excelsiors baseball team debuted a new uniform that included a cap with a round crown and a brief brim, inspired by jockey’s headgear. Over the following 100 or so years, other baseball teams created their own takes on this new form of headwear, in an attempt to combat glare on the baseball field.

It wasn’t until 1954, when the New Era Company of Buffalo began to produce ‘newsboy’ and ‘59Fifty’ caps – still the style worn by all Major League Baseball players today – that uniformity of baseball cap style was achieved on the field. The popular ‘59fifty’ cap style is constructed of 6 fabric crown panels attached to a stiff brim Each panel is ventilated by an airhole with a fabric-covered button on the apex of the crown. 

Before the 1970s, wearing a baseball cap anywhere but on the field carried a cultural stigma associated with lower class and lack of culture.

Surprisingly, we have one living legend of a man to thank for smashing that stigma (among a few other factors).

Tom Selleck.

The Common Man’s Crown

Magnum P.I. was an iconic 70s TV character that defined sleek street sophistication.

The magic was in the man himself. His magnificent moustache. And the Detroit Tigers baseball cap he wore in every episode.

In James Lilliefors book, ‘Ball Cap Nation’, the author points to eight factors that contributed to the cap’s climb to peak pop culture, starting in the late ‘70s: Magnum P.I., the explosion of televised sports and the maturation of the first generation of Little League retirees are among the heaviest hitting influences in his reckoning.

Manufacturers and marketers caught onto climbing cap demand quickly and the cap’s popularity hasn’t faltered since. More than a fashion item, adults and kids caps are the most commonly headpiece worn around the world today.

Kids Caps Today

In a number of recent sartorial articles examining the cap as a statement of personal style, it’s the pluralistic charm of the cap that is most often cited as a reason for it’s enduring popularity, especially when it comes to kids caps.

What other wardrobe staple for kids and tweens is able to be so widely expressive while conforming to strict style limits?

Hemlines rise and fall; pant leg widths expand and contract; t-shirts are skin-tight one minute and oversized the next; but, worn backwards, forwards or jauntily to the side, the iconic brimmed silhouette of a kids cap remain recognisably…a kids cap.

Whether the kids caps your tween prefers to rock have a vintage, surf or street aesthetic, it’s a complete win for parents that kids caps are a style statement that come with a side of sun safety!

In our book, kids caps are an easy everyday outfit ‘yes’ for our tweens. Other expressive style choices, like ripped jeans and mid-drift tops at family weddings are another conversation entirely… ?

Bon+Co Kids Caps

A recent addition to the Bon+Co range, we are stoked to offer surf style kids caps!

After many months of careful product development and testing, the first Bon+ Co hats to be released feature our popular and exclusive ‘Haven’ palm tree print.

We may be a little biased, but we think this is the ultimate kids cap for beach-loving tweens.

Why?

Our kids caps are made from high quality fabric (20% cotton, 80% polyester blend) and feature heat embossed applique label detailing, an adjustable back-strap closure, 5 panel design with internal foam structure, a semi-curve contrast brim and are consciously gender neutral in styling.

Proudly designed by parents-of-tweens in Brisbane-Australia, Bon+Co kids caps are a perfect ‘grab and go’ wardrobe stable that offer a little extra sun protection at the beach, pool or on other Summer adventures.

Our kids caps are a great general size (best fit for children and tweens between 6-12 years of age). We’ve been careful to make sure both the crown and brim components in our kids caps are not too big and not too small for average tween-age heads.

And speaking of heads, did you know that we donate $1 from every Bon+Co sale to headspace – Australia’s national foundation for youth mental health?

We’re passionate about Aussie kids being empowered to live their lives with as much positivity and as little stress as possible.  Part of our pledge to positivity is regular monthly donations to headspace. We’re proud to help support the important work they do around the country, offering information and services to support young people going through tough times.

When you buy kids caps from Bon+Co, we hope you’ll smile in the knowledge that you’ll be helping to protect Aussie children and their precious heads from more than just the sun.

Shop our kids caps and boardshorts online now and don’t forget a pair of Kids Sunglasses for extra Sun Protection.