Whoaaaaaa — Yankee with straw brim! If I sound like a rambling madman, well, yes. But also, I must introduce you to one of the most bizarre, laugh-out-loud funny memes from the past few years. First, however, let's introduce BEAMS and New Era's straw New York Yankees cap.
It's a clever idea, no matter how you slice it. To take perhaps the singularly most recognizable fitted hats in the entire MLB league and realize it in summer-ready straw is to come up with crazily brilliant ideas at a Steve Jobs level. Okay, hyperbole, but still. A straw Yankees hat is cute.
Japanese retailer BEAMS brought in New Era, the defacto cap manufacturer of the MLB, to remake the timeless dome in a light, breathable hat made of a straw-like nylon. It's got the look and feel of a summery straw hat but the toughness of a technical mesh, giving you the best of both worlds (if I may turn a tired phrase).
The resulting design is imminently wearable and far more interesting than the beat-up old Yankees cap you've been wearing on-and-off for the past few years.
Make the ~$80 upgrade on BEAMS' website when the "straw" New Era Yankees hats drop in June.
Now, I could spend some time waxing poetic about the wonders of Japanese retail and the brilliantly subversive collaborations these stores and brands weave out of otherwise conventional stock silhouettes but I'd much rather talk Yankee With No Brim.
As I mentioned earlier, Yankee With No Brim is an amazing 10-second video of a guy circling another guy, howling in disbelief at the brimless Yankees hat atop the man's head.
It's one of the most dumbly endearing videos on the internet and it always gives me a chuckle, if only for the sheer goofiness of the cap and the exuberant awe it inspires in the guy holding the camera.
Yankee With No Brim obviously inspired its fair share of spin-offs and parodies, which are all equally amusing.
Now, don't expect your new BEAMS x New Era straw Yankee to draw similarly exaggerated response, which is probably for the better: people will quietly appreciate your good taste, rather than roaring in amusement.
