Donald Trump is now famous for his “Make America Great Again” hat, which became such a cultural phenomenon during his campaign that even his opponents couldn’t escape its pull.
And while the fashion industry may have been heavily invested in Trump’s opponent, Hillary Clinton, it seems even they couldn’t escape the pull of his ubiquitous “normcore” style. The hottest item on the Resort Wear 2017 runways is the strikingly familiar “dad hat.”
Balenciaga’s version — black and white hats with the label’s name printed in a contrasting color — debuted as part of designer Demna Gvasalia’s “lux-normcore” vacation line just this week. The hat is already available on the web as part of Balenciaga’s Spring/Summer 2017 ready-to-wear collection, and retails for a whopping $285 (Trump’s hats are $40).
Normcore, or the trend of adapting style elements from middle-America’s nursing homes and shopping malls, originated in part because President Barack Obama frequently appeared in baggy, badly cut “Dad jeans,” long khaki shorts, and all-terrain Teva sandals.
It’s been around for a few years, but it’s probably no coincidence that fashion’s “it girls” like Gigi Hadid and Kylie Jenner began appearing in “dad hats” around the same time Trump unveiled his signature accessory.
The original “MAGA hat” earned a special place on the dais on election night, encased in glass. Ornaments featuring the hat were, at one time, selling for more than $100 a piece. Trump’s own campaign spent more than $3 million on the embroidered souvenirs, and the Inaugural committee even has its own version which reads “45,” for the 45th President.