Baseball is America’s past time. It’s hot dogs and beer. It’s one of the best parts of summertime. But that’s not all. While baseball may not be the first sport you think of when you think of streetwear and style (that honor belongs to the NBA), it has had plenty of influence on streetwear and style over the years.
Whether we talk about the ubiquity of fitted caps, satin Starter jackets, or Ken Griffey Jr.’s Nike sneakers, there are plenty of ways that baseball has established a foothold in modern fashion.
One of the most recent examples of the ongoing relationship between baseball and streetwear comes on the heels of the World Baseball Classic. Two of Los Angeles’ most storied brands, UNDEFEATED and Born X Raised, have partnered with Complex and Fanatics on a series of jerseys and apparel to celebrate the global tournament.
These are the various ways that Baseball Has Influenced Streetwear.
Shop the full World Baseball Collection featuring UNDEFEATED and Born X Raised here.
The fitted cap has been a staple of the streetwear uniform for decades. We aren’t just talking about the classic blue Yankees and Dodgers fitteds that the players are wearing on the field. An entire ecosystem has developed around custom fitted hats in bright and unorthodox color schemes. We have Spike Lee to thank for this wave. He requested a custom red Yankees hat to wear to the 1996 World Series. The floodgates opened. New Era has been producing custom colorways of fitteds ever since.
Top streetwear brands also continue to lend their vision to baseball’s crowns, from Kith to Corteiz. Whether you prefer to keep the gold sticker on the brim or tear it off, rock a grey or green brim, a fitted cap is and always will be the perfect accessory to complete any fit.
The fitted hat isn’t the only on-field item that has been heavily embraced by streetwear. There is also the satin jacket.
The earliest iterations of the shiny jackets were seen way back in the 1930s, but the styles that we know today came about in 1970s. Starter is responsible for perfecting the dugout jacket. Initially, it was worn by players to keep warm in the dugout during chilly night games. By the ‘90s, they had become a fashion statement embraced by everyone from the flyest rappers like LL Cool J to the coolest kids on the playground. While they went dormant for a number of years throughout the 2010s, brands like HOMAGE are bringing them back to the forefront right now through thoughtful retro releases.
The incredible world of throwback jerseys is not limited to baseball, but the MLB has produced some of the best looks of all time. Whether you prefer the super authentic (and much warmer) wool variations or a mesh batting practice jersey, baseball jerseys have become a summertime staple.
Of course, there are countless iconic instances of throwbacks being adopted as statement pieces. Mookie survived the heat wave in Do The Right Thing rocking a timeless Jackie Robinson Brooklyn Dodgers jersey with some Bo Jackson trainers. Many people credit Big Boi sporting a Houston Astros jersey in Goodie Mob’s “Black Ice (Sky High)” music video as the moment that catapulted Mitchell & Ness’ throwbacks into the spotlight in the late ‘90s. Whatever your frame of reference may be, there is no denying the place that throwbacks have had within modern style.
If you grew up in the ‘90s, there weren’t many athletes cooler than Ken Griffey Jr. He was on the cover of video games. He rocked his hat backwards. He absolutely mashed baseballs. He wore some of the coolest jerseys of the era. One of the biggest elements of the equation was his line of signature sneakers with Nike. To this day, the “Freshwater” Air Griffey Max 1 is still being sold in stores. It’s considered an all-time classic. There aren’t many baseball signature sneakers that have gotten a second life beyond the baseball diamond. But you can thank Griffey Jr. for most of them.
The New York Yankees and Los Angeles Dodgers logos represent much more than the franchises that wear them. They are recognized around the world as symbols of Americana. Plenty of people that sport them on caps and jackets may have never even watched an inning. They are iconic cultural motifs that have extended far beyond the MLB. While a logo morphing into a representation of an entire city isn’t limited to just the Yankees and Dodgers, they are certainly the two most prominent examples. There’s a reason why whenever you see a brand reveal an MLB collab, the Yankees and Dodgers are in the mix.
Naturally, all of these items have been reinterpreted hundreds of times over by our favorite streetwear brands. Fear of God puts out amazing fitted caps inspired by MLB teams from season to season. Some of Supreme’s best pieces from the 2020s, like this jacket, are covered in MLB logos. Even Polo Ralph Lauren releases an annual collection where it flips its signature caps and rugby sweaters with the retro logos of franchises like the Yankees and Phillies. And this is just scratching the surface. Beyond official MLB partnerships, there are also all of the brands making their own New Era fitteds and mesh jersey tops. We have baseball to thank for those timeless silhouettes.
The latest example of baseball intersecting with streetwear is in celebration of the World Baseball Classic. UNDEFEATED and Born X Raised made gear for teams including USA, Mexico, Puerto Rico, Japan, and the Dominican Republic. Two major streetwear brands being selected to celebrate baseball on a global stage show just how much the relationship between style and sports continues to grow.
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