August 24, 2023
Trucker Chic Is the New Black
Trucker trendy and camo couture are styles to stay on top of this year.
What do trucker hats, camo-printed tops and earth tones have in common? They all fit into the Americancore trend, which has been going strong for the last few years on TikTok and Instagram, where people around the world share their obsession with American culture and food or show off their farmer-chic ensembles.
The mesh-back camo cap (i2005) from Cap America is on-trend.
Trucker hats – which typically have a foam front, mesh back and snapback closure, as opposed to the curved bill and top button of a traditional baseball cap – have been in fashion for a while, and the style doesn’t seem to be going away anytime soon. Searches for “trucker hat” in ESP were up by about 5% in May and again in June this year, compared to the same period in 2022, according to ASI Research.
Celebrities and big brands have gotten in on the trend. Supermodel Kendall Jenner recently sported a camo trucker hat at a football stadium in Paris, and the Waffle House restaurant chain sells camo trucker hats with its logo embroidered across the front.
Once mostly reserved for “rugged” industries like agriculture and manufacturing, camo trucker caps have crossed over into more fashion-forward markets like music festivals, the food and beverage industry, and travel and hospitality, according to Rhyen Campbell, communications and engagement strategist for Top 40 supplier Cap America (asi/43792).
“For a long time, camo headwear has been our bread and butter since a lot of our customers are in the Midwest, and hunting is huge here,” Campbell says. “However, we’ve recently seen functional camo spill over into retail and fashion, largely thanks to country music artists like Luke Combs adding it to their merch lines.”
Alternative band boygenius offers this camo-printed tee on its merch site.
Country stars aren’t the only ones adopting the trend, however. Alternative band boygenius, which counts rocker Phoebe Bridgers as a member, sells a camo-printed T-shirt with the band name in rainbow gradient puff screen-printed across the front. Pop musician Justin Bieber has an orange-and-white trucker hat in his Peaches collection of merch, and rappers Post Malone and Bad Bunny also feature trucker hats as part of their merch.
Trucker caps in neutral colors like this style (39-165) from Otto International fit the trend.
There’s a practical reason for the style’s popularity as music merch, according to David Lever, vice president of sales at Top 40 supplier Otto International (asi/75350). Trucker hats are cost-effective to take on the road. “It’s a great way to pivot when you’re doing hats as merch,” he says. “If it’s a venue where they’re working in multiple cities, they can easily remake transfers and press the hats on the hat press. If they run out during the day or if it’s a multiday festival, they can create more on site.”
Camo print is a popular color scheme for trucker hats, especially paired with a flaming orange shade that’s used in deer hunting, Lever says. He notes that neutral tones like fatigue green and beige are also popular.
The trucker-and-camo trend is also part of the “back to nature” movement, Campbell says. “This movement goes along with the sustainability push that we’ve all witnessed and is why we’re seeing so many earth tones throughout retail,” she adds. “Camo fits nicely here, so much so that a generic tonal camo pattern is almost considered a neutral – you can pair it with just about anything.”
Product Hub
Find the latest in quality products, must-know trends and fresh ideas for upcoming end-buyer campaigns.