Big box of vintage snaps just in and trickling their way online. These deadstock 1990s vintage snapbacks have been perfectly maintained here in the UK by a merchant who previously owned a sports clothing store in the 90s.
In the mix are these classic AJD twill hats with front helmet/script and spell out lettering on rear.
New drop of 5 panels just hit the site, including our new Sunflower 5 panel.
Check out the full range here
Our new monogram 5 panels were inspired by the MCM snapbacks that came out in the 90s.
The faux leather has a full grain texture with a repeating agora monogram print.
The gold plate on the front mirrors the mcm front badge, including the leather frame. We gave the hat a modern twist by crafting it in our 5 panel shape.
Our first collection of watches just arrived. Shop our full collection online today
The collection is hand made with care using only quality parts and a Japanese movement to ensure excellent time-keeping. The straps are all real leather and hands, case and buckle all gold/silver colored alloy.
All good things come in pairs – here is your summer tied right up. Cloud print is in right now and we aren’t the only ones responsible. Nike released their Roshe Run Santa Monica sneakers at the end of May, and the print matches our new bucket hats perfectly.
The new renaissance snapback from our Silver Snapback series features a textured faux leather body with a floral print inspired by the renaissance period. Shop online
We just got in a bunch of Sports Specialties “The Cord” script snapbacks, check the store now.
The cord snapbacks were a unique Sports Specialties’ hat, and the build of them is quite different to the regular wool or cotton snapbacks. Like all their 90s caps, the hat is made for Sports Specialties by Youngan, but is 5 panels, not six. This made the embroidery easier, which is a bit trickier on the cord material. Also the button is plastic not metal and larger. The adjuster on the back is a plastic slider too.
The hats came with single line or double line script embroidery
Ralph Lauren Polo is a huge part of hip-hop and urban fashion but like all sub-cultures, your average joe probably doesn’t know all that much about it. Their only interaction with Polo culture in urban fashion might be to ask: why is that dude wearing a knitted sweater with a cute little teddy bear on it? Or why did I see a second hand ralph lauren jacket sell for $3,000 on eBay?
You could write dissertations on 80s and 90s Ralph Lauren Polo culture, but here’s just a few pointers, for anyone wanting to understand why we sell Polo Bear gear.
“Lo Life” was the term adopted by a group of youths from Brooklyn in the 80s who had a fixation with all things Ralph Lauren. They would get together sometimes 2 or 3 times a day to boost Ralph Lauren items from stores, which they could sell on or keep for themselves. These guys wouldn’t leave the house unless they were covered from head to toe in the most sought after Ralph Lauren garms.
In a subversion of the norm, it was young black kids who were moving away from LL Cool J leather jackets and sportswear towards a brand that evoked the style of English aristocracy. The movement spread to many other major cities in the US.
In this hash tag age, the term “lo life” has become diluted to reference anything or anyone Ralph Lauren. But Lo Life was a lifestyle followed religiously by a group with founded on the corner of Utica and St Johns, Brooklyn NY. Many of the original members are now dead, imprisoned or live on and attend swap meets where they trade vintage Ralph Lauren to this day.
Check out some of the stories from original Lo Lifes in this 1998 article from Hip-Hop magazine Stress. Some of the tales are pretty crazy:
Some of the most popular Ralph Lauren Polo items include the Snow Beach, Polo Bears, Cookie Crest, P-Wing, Ski, Silk Crest, and Stadium. Illustration courtesy of Defunkd.com
Countless brands have copied the style of most of these lines over the past two decades.
Hip-Hop producer Just Blaze is considered to have one of largest collections of classic Polo garms. Check out the breakdown of his collection with Complex Magazine. Here he is rocking a stadium jacket, alongside Smoke DZA with a custom polo bear shirt/hat combo.
Taz “Ti$A” Arnold also has a decent collection below
Check some out our collection of Polo Bear 5 panels, polo bear pocket tees and polo bear watches, available now
Now defunct AJD Cap Co made some of the coolest snapbacks in in the 80s and 90s. These nostalgic hats with bold italics and contrast shadow are amongst our favorite snapbacks ever.
Here’s the history behind the cap… AJD never made on field caps (apart from for the Orioles for 2 years) and as a relatively small 70s startup they initially lacked the financial clout to throw money at pro athlete endorsement deals. So the company had to work extra hard on creating the freshest snapbacks to compete in a crowded market with big players like Sports Specialties, Starter and New Era.
In the 80s, when fashion dictated that the brightest and craziest designs would prevail, AJD were making some of its most original prints in the market. In 1991-92 they brought out their iconic “Zubaz” line of caps and pants, which blew up. The line featured animal prints in team colors which was totally unique at the time.
But the Zubaz line died a painful death in the mid 90s as fashion turned towards a more conservative style. Zubaz, however, was not forgotten. Last year Adidas borrowed AJD’s prints to launch their 2013 NCAA ZUBAZ uniforms
New Era have also made their own ZUBAZ brand snapbacks and fitted hats. Of course, they aren’t a patch on the originals.
As Zubaz sales died in the 90s, AJD buried the line in place of more accessible styles like the diamond line
In 1995 Greg Christensen, the then director of sales at AJD, explained “Consumers want caps with an understated look. The days of block lettering and all-out graphics are no longer here.” Likewise, Sports Specialities marketing manager, Tim Mitchell, remarked at the same time: “Licensing, as we know it, has returned to the core fan. And not only do they want a cleaner looking cap, but they are looking for caps that will stand-up to wear-and-tear”
So our AJD line is born!
The line like Zubaz, left its mark too. This bootleg Vikings snapback is a bootleg hat that was made in 2010, when vintage snapback hats just became popular. This was the first style that got copied.
The Hundreds are one of many labels who have made their version of our AJD hat
Billed as a vintage department store and taking up 9,000 square foot of prime London real estate, Blitz is the UK’s largest vintage clothing store.
We’ve been stocked in Blitz since its debut in the summer of 2011. Our deliveries have included deadstock beanies, t shirts, snapbacks, bucket hats, bags, and of course, our own branded goods.
Blitz is located off Brick Lane, London’s long-established hub for vintage clothing. But despite heavy competition from Brick Lane institutions like Rockit and Beyond Retro and a seemingly saturated vintage market, Blitz has thrived. The shop offers what most shops in the area don’t: the rare mix of fashion-centric vintage and retro goods alongside the genuinely old, more collectible pieces. For instance, chain stitched 70s varsity jackets might sit opposite new and pre-worn sweatshirts that have been tie dyed and dip dyed by hand that morning.
One reason we like supplying Blitz is because we can target female customers more easily. We find a lot of Blitz shoppers won’t have actively sought out our branded product, but when they come face to face with it on the shelves they often find themselves seduced by the prints and designs, and end up making that impulsive purchase.
Their average customer also chooses to shop there because they want to find more original items, that you can’t find in every high street shop. So we have found great success with our headwear lines, which we strive to make unique.
You can find Blitz Vintage London @
55-59 Hanbury St
London,
E1 5JP
Blitzlondon.co.uk
