Gen Z is giving this Y2K accessory a surprising comeback, thanks to celebs like Kylie Jenner and Bella Hadid
This cult classic cap from the ’90s is back.
The Von Dutch trucker hat — most notably sported by multi-hyphenate style icon Paris Hilton, pop star Britney Spears and actress Lindsay Lohan — is decidedly revived as more celebrities adopt the Y2K accessory.
Makeup mogul and reality TV star Kylie Jenner sports a bubblegum pink Von Dutch hat on the cover of Elle for the magazine’s November issue.
Her sister, Kendall Jenner, also previously wore a similar Von Dutch hat, and Bella Hadid has been spotted carrying the brand’s bowling bag.
The trend, however, has a ripple effect beyond Tinseltown.
On social media, Von Dutch mentions have soared near a whopping 13,000% throughout the last year, according to Business of Fashion, which cited data from Trendalytics.
Additionally, Depop searchers for “Von Dutch” and “trucker hat” have increased 40% and 90%, respectively, since the beginning of 2024.
Already Von Dutch
Kids of the ’90s will remember the heyday of Von Dutch-branded gear — specifically the trucker hats, which were sported by the likes of pop princesses and Hollywood hotshots alike. In 2003, just four years after the brand launched, the company scored more than $33 million in sales annually, per Business of Fashion.
The brand was named after Kenneth Robert Howard, a famous motorcycle mechanic, painter and detailer who earned his nickname because he was “as stubborn as a Dutchman.”
His daughters licensed the Von Dutch name, which was eventually used by French fashion designer Christian Audigier.
But the glory didn’t last long.
“You saw it everywhere. It used to be cool people wearing it, then all of a sudden this cheesy, random crowd started wearing it,” Hilton said during a 2021 Hulu documentary “The Curse of Von Dutch: A Brand to Die For.”
“I remember one day I looked in my closet and I had so much Von Dutch, and I just couldn’t look at it anymore. I got rid of everything.”
Then, this year, when hyperpop star Charli xcx played her Boiler Room set in Brooklyn, fans arrived in drovessome sporting the $90 Von Dutch hats — an ode to a track off the singer’s hit album “Brat,” the song aptly titled “Von Dutch.”
On the day the song was released back in February as a single, searches for Von Dutch skyrocketed 400%, according to Google Trends data published by Women’s Wear Daily.
“Charli xcx’s song ‘Von Dutch’ has been a game-changer during such an important time of our brand evolution. Her bold and rebellious energy— and empowering ‘Brat Summer’ movement — perfectly encapsulates what Von Dutch stands for,” Marc Benitez, COO of White Space Group Brands, told WWD.
“Her influence has bridged the gap between our loyal fans and a whole new audience discovering us for the first time.”
‘Cultural relevance’
Suddenly, content creators on TikTok boast their towering collections of Von Dutch trucker hats, while other clips show Gen Zers who didn’t grow up with the brand discover the “cute” caps.
Like anything in fashion, what goes around comes around — and 20 years after their prime, Von Dutch is back, in part thanks to the Y2K resurgence marked by the revival of jelly shoes, Ed Hardy, belly button rings and flip phones.
The “cultural relevance” of the brand, Benitez told Business of Fashion, makes the apparel here to stay, especially with “the movement of Y2K brands and what they represent to a younger generation, all the stars aligned.”
“Now you have the opportunity to capitalize on who remembers it from the early 2000s, and bring it to the young consumers interested in that time frame now,” Benitez said.
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