First introduced during the 1990s, snapbacks became a popular fashion trend on both coasts of the United States. The style took off when west coast rappers and east coast rappers adopted the look for videos and live performances. The original designs sported logos representing locations with Mobb Deep wearing hats stitched with Queens and Brooklyn and N.W.A. choosing hats representing Compton, a suburb of Los Angeles. It was not long before music fans jumped onto the bandwagon and demand for the style grew. The Zephyr snapback joined the party in 1993 when the look crossed over to sports starts and their fans.
The trend in sports began when athletes started wearing snapbacks on the sidelines at professional sporting events. Of course, no athlete was more popular during the 1990s than Michael Jordan. After sinking the winning shot during the NBA finals to beat the Cavaliers, millions of people saw him wearing a Gatorade snapback during the press conference after the game. Retailers struggled to keep up with demand as fans everywhere just could not wait to get their hands on one.
Fitted hats replaced the snapback at the top of the fashion popularity scale in 2000. It would take more than a decade, but in 2011, Tyga and Chris Brown were responsible for reversing the trend with their song, "Snapback Back." Within weeks, retailers were once again producing snapbacks and rushing them to market. Jay-Z, Kanye West and Mac Miller contributed to the popularity growth at this time by wearing them in their music videos.
Zephyr carved out its niche in the fashion industry with unique designs made especially for fans following the National Hockey League. Later, the company reached a licensing agreement with the National Collegiate Athletic Association and now sells a wide range of snapbacks bearing university and college logos and mascots.
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