Kangol

The birth of a legend

The story of how Kangol went from being a supplier of berets to the British Army during World War II to becoming a fetish brand for rappers and film stars is quite fascinating.. Set up by Jakob Henryk Spreiregen, a Polish-born Jewish emigrant who arrived in England in 1915 and started making his first hats in London in 1930 - the famous name was the result of taking the K from "Knit", the ANG from the Angora wool he used, and the OL from "wool".

The kangaroo crosses the pond

After becoming famous during and after the Second World War - the company produced as many as one million hats a year - Kangol hired Pierre Cardin and Mary Quant to design all the brand's products, which is when celebrities such as The Beatles, the golfer Arnold Palmer and, years later, Princess Diana began to ask them to design exclusive hats that they could wear in their daily lives. It wasn't long before they began setting their eyes on Kangol in the United States, adding to the interest in the “kangaroo brand”

The 80s and Hip Hop. Or how Kangol changed the rules of the game for ever

And then all of a sudden, hip hop hit the streets and topped the charts on every radio station in the US, and it was the MCs, DJs and B-boys all over the country who started laying down the beat as far as style was concerned. Before long, LL Cool J - famous for his collection of caps and hats - began sporting Kangol berets and bucket hats every time he appeared in public, sparking a genuine craze for the brand and causing other artists of the day like Run DMC, Slick Rick, Grandmaster Flash or, more recently, Missy Elliot to follow his example which only made them even more popular. The fact that movie stars such as Wesley Snipes or Samuel L. Jackson began wearing the brand's berets on and off screen in the 90s only served to increase the popularity of Kangol all over the world.

Kangol: the best headwear now available at FOOTDISTRICT

A brand with a fascinating legacy in which history, quality and style go hand in hand and which is now available at FOOTDISTRICT so that you can dress your head like a real star.