2023.01.30

The History of 'Kangol' – a Brand that Has Evolved with Hip Hop Culture and Music Scene

'Kangol', a renowned hat brand recognized for its kangaroo logo berets and hats. Upon exploring the roots of this brand, we find a story of a journey intertwined with music throughout its long history. Let's take a look at some iconic pieces along with the history of Kangol.

The forerunner to Kangol was a hat shop established in the U.K in 1918 by Jacques Spreiregen. Initially, the main business was selling imported Basque berets.

The company building in the U.K during its early days

In 1938, in an effort to differentiate itself from other companies, the brand name KANGOL was established.

The brand name is said to be derived by taking the 'K' from 'knitting', 'ANG' from 'Angora', and 'OL' from 'wool', forming 'Kangol'. During World War II, they began producing berets worn by General Montgomery and the British Army, which led Kangol to gain popularity throughout the U.K.

In addition, at the opening ceremony of the 1948 Olympics, the entire British team wore Kangol berets. As the 1950s rolled in, their sales area began to expand into the U.S and South Africa. By the '60s, joined by renowned designers like Pierre Cardin and Mary Quant, the Kangol brand started to gain global recognition.

In 1981, Kangol invited globally acclaimed hatmaker Graham Smith to launch a collection called 'Graham Smith for Kangol'. He created an accessible yet luxurious hat collection, which even included hats for British Airways cabin crews in the '80s for this line.

A view of making Kangol berets, the year is undisclosed

The Impact of THE BEATLES Advertisement Continues to Influence

In 1964, Kangol hired The Beatles for their advertisement. It is presumed that the impact they had on the youth of the '60s was tremendous, and their influence continues to this day. Through these efforts, the Kangol brand gained recognition in the music world of the '60s.

A photo from when Kangol hired The Beatles for their advertisement

The 80's, The Birth of the Kangaroo Logo

In 1983, Kangol, already globally recognized, decided that they needed a unique mark to differentiate their products from those of other companies. After several experimental attempts at various logos in their British creative factory, the kangaroo logo was adopted.

The familiar kangaroo logo of Kangol was created in 1983

The Kangol Worn by LL Cool J Became a Topic of Conversation and Spread into the Hip Hop Scene

At the same time, in the '80s, Kangol, already launched in America, became a hot topic when LL Cool J was seen wearing a Kangol hat called Casual in an album cover.

Not only in music videos, but he also wore Kangol hats in his private life, becoming an integral part of the history of hip hop. After that, Kangol was frequently worn by hip hop stars such as Slick Rick, Erik B and Rakim, and Grand Master Flash.

Even in the 2001 published photobook 'Back in the Days' by African-American photographer Jamel Shabazz, featuring photos taken in New York in the '80s, B-BOYs fond of Kangol became the subjects.

In Japan as well, pioneers of Japanese hip hop culture such as Seiko Ito and Kan Takagi started to wear Kangol when hip hop culture was introduced in the late '80s.