Beech Tree News Network

We’ve come a long way since the decade of the ‘80’s.  I’ve been watching a series on the ‘80’s that I recorded from Nat Geo called The ‘80’s Top Ten.  There were six episodes in the series.  The first was on ‘80’s fashion.

We’ll begin by looking at something that originated from British aristocracy in the 1920’s to become one of the signatures looks of hip-hop.  Let’s tip our caps to the Kangal hat.  It was the crowning glory of hip=hop fashion in the ‘80’s.  They were actually first worn in the states by golfers.  Rappers saw golfers wearing the hat and thought it was a good look.  Kangal started making berets in the U.K. in 1938 and went onto make headwear for generals, princesses and, yes, golfers.

Rappers like Dana Dane introduced the Kagal to the streets.  “We just re-purposed what was around us.  That’s what hip-hop was built upon”.  Kangal’s took off as ‘80’s hip-hop blazed up the charts.  In 1986, Kangal sells $7.2 million worth of hats in America.  That’s 7 times more than in 1975.  By the way, the Kangal hat is basically what we call the bucket hat today.

Next up is Van’s shoes.  In the mid-1970’s, the skateboarding craze took off among Southern California’s rebellious youth.  In the ‘80’s, those rebels were joined by a new recruit who would change their game.  “I was a teenager when I got into skating most heavily and had a pretty good run of success.  I was making a living doing what I loved.  I was travelling the world” says skateboarding legend Tony Hawk.  In 1984, a 16 year-old Hawk is named top skater in the world.  Tony knew he had to have the right shoes.  “I saw an advertisement in a skating magazine and there was a shoe made for skateboarding.  I had to have it.  Van’s shoes were THE shoes in the ‘80’s.  

Steve Van Doren’s family co-founded Van’s on the west coast in the ‘60’s.  Their clunky shoes were perfect for skaters.  VP of Van’s, Steve says “a special thing about the sole, it was a waffle design that gripped the boards.  “They felt gored back”.  Hawk says “they identified me as a skater”.  As Tony Hawk’s career takes off, Vans soar in popularity.  Vans sales would grow by 30% following the release of the movie Fast Times At Ridgemont High(the characters wore Vans in the movie).  But in the mid-80’s, the fortunes of Van’s and skateboarding are set to take a dive.  In 1988, in the business district of Port Huron, Michigan, skating is punishable by up to 90 days in jail.  But the ‘80’s had a way of transforming rebellion into merchandise.  Today, Vans is a $3 billion company.  Four decades later, Tony Hawk is still rocking Vans.  “When I skate now, I wear the same model shoes I skated in at 14”.  I have a pair and they’re very comfortable.  Next week, I’ll have more, including an interesting story on Ray-ban’s sunglasses.  

https://open.spotify.com/show/61yTPt9wXdz37DZTbPUs16?si=lw4gR-7xQ22E-zhy...

https://podcasts.apple.com/us/podcast/blendertainment/id1541097172