If you were a child of the 80s and 90s in New York City, you don’t need any introduction to Mr. Kaves. If you aren’t of that background, listen up. From the age of 12, Kaves hung from the sides of streetcars and spray painted some of the best street art the city had ever seen. He became a staple of the city that needed light, color, and inspiration during the turbulent times of those two decades. Taking that same creativity, he started a band, and then brought his art to museums, and now, you can wear some of his creativity yourself. With a new collaboration with American hat brand Bailey 1922, Kaves expands an already impressive storytelling resume.
“Coming up in Brooklyn, we didn’t have much, and the fedora style was seen as a ‘Crown’ on your head, and if you had one, you were street royalty. When I had my first taste of success, I bought a hat and a cigar, and I felt important and like I ‘made’ it,” said Kaves. “People know Brooklyn’s a cool place, and it has become a brand. I’m going to teach you a little about how it became cool…the blood, the sweat, the tears. To me, Brooklyn rooftops are a religion, and the concrete is a cathedral.”
Bringing art to headwear
The hats were launched from his pop culture museum and blend his penchant for artistic expression and love of hats with Bailey 1922’s long history of American craftsmanship. On the inside of every hat, you get the iconic MisterKaves signature. We don’t know if these hats signify that you “made it,” but they sure can’t hurt in Kaves’ opinion.
“It was effortless, blending Bailey’s DNA of craftsmanship, artisanal sophistication and rugged integrity with Kaves’ idea of the modern gentleman– this tough New Yorker with a gentle stature and a nostalgic street style if you will, these hats have been imagined with one eye on the past and full speed ahead towards the future,” says Paula Calvert, Bailey 1922’s Creative Director.
