In the age of social media, fashion trends come and go quicker than ever. One month, everyone wants a pair of cowboy boots. The next, every brand under the sun is trying to make the perfect racing jacket. Wait, now vintage NFL jerseys from the 2000s are a hot commodity. Do you want an Avirex-inspired leather jacket? Surely, 10 different brands make them right now.
We aren’t here to denounce these things. Frankly, we are fans of some of them. Lately, it seems like streetwear brands are more obsessed with gems than Howie Ratner.
One of the most notable recent examples is a series of MLB fitted caps by designer Carlton Yaito that were covered with multicolored stones. They were met with mixed reviews once an $1,175 retail price was revealed, but they still inspired a handful of imitators to create more budget-friendly versions. Some will say they're ripping off Yaito's idea. Others say imitation is the sincerest form of flattery. No matter what side of that debate you fall on, seeing TikTokers do arts and crafts projects with their Yankees fitteds proves that embellished gear is something people want right now.
Headwear has been a major driver of this rhinestone trend. Los Angeles-based label Nothing Grows Overnight currently sells its own Yankees and Dodgers fitteds that feature clusters of turquoise gemstones. Bryan Sebastian is a creator making custom fitteds featuring rhinestoned art that have been rocked by global stars like Peso Pluma. Even upstart brands in New York City like Well Engineered are dropping crystallized fitteds right now in an attempt to capitalize on the phenomenon and hopefully grow their audience.
If fitteds aren’t your thing, LifesABlur’s distressed beanies covered in crystals have been heavily co-signed by Lil Yachty since they debuted in 2023 and can’t seem to stay in stock. Atlanta label Lemons on Fire makes similar styles adorned with colorful stones.
And it isn’t just limited to gems and rhinestones. Rising New York City-born brand Slums is making crazy one-of-one caps adorned with a collage of vintage brooches and pins. ASAP Rocky has been spotted in various hats by Detroit’s PoorLilRichGirlz that take the trend to a new level with intricate floral embellishments that cover half of the crown of a classic New Era cap.
Apparel and footwear are also in the fold. Just last weekend, Denim Tears got the timeline’s attention with durags featuring rhinestone cotton wreaths. They released alongside zip hoodies, sweatpants, and thermals that also included the multicolored detail. Earlier this year, Italian designer Mattias Gollin covered a pair of Timbs in pearls that ended up on Drake's feet. Up-and-coming Los Angeles brand Happy Memories Don’t Die has found a fan-favorite in its faded sweatpants featuring studded patterns down each leg. Miami-based skate brand Andrew and Awake NY have also included a variety of rhinestone logos in recent collections. If you’re looking for a comfortable entry point to participate in this trend, you can certainly find one that fits your style. It’s getting so widespread that even designers like Circulate founder Corey Populus have called it out.
Obviously, rhinestones and gaudy jewels aren’t new. The aughts were full of them. B.B. Simon’s belts popularized by rappers like Jim Jones and Juelz Santana immediately come to mind. Brands like Baby Phat and Juicy Couture used them to spell out logos on T-shirts and sweatpants. Ed Hardy’s rhinestone-clad caps and T-shirts, believe it or not, were some of the most in-demand items in fashion donned by everyone from Lil Wayne to Mike “The Situation” at the time. More recently, we even saw Supreme release Swarovski Box Logo hoodies and T-shirts to celebrate its 25th anniversary in 2019. Like many Y2K-era fashion trends, rhinestones have just been rediscovered and reinterpreted for a younger generation.
While there isn’t a clear cut originator to point toward, the trend has been bubbling for the past year or so. Remember when Kendrick Lamar accepted the award for Best Rap Album at the 65th Grammys wearing a pgLang Dodgers cap adorned with vintage Tiffany and Co. brooches? Two of the most coveted pieces from Pharrell’s debut Louis Vuitton collection, which showed in June 2023 and released in stores in January 2024, were a $5,000 Damier check beanie covered in pearls and varsity jacket inspired by P’s high school with Swarovski logos. Popular Los Angeles label Satoshi Nakamoto and cult-favorite South Korean streetwear label Vandy each released Vans and Clarks collaborations, respectively, with jewel embellishments across 2023.
Maybe some of those moments were the catalyst. Maybe we are all just looking for a more affordable alternative since we can’t drop six figures on a custom diamond chain from Alex Moss or Icebox like some of our favorite rappers. Whatever the reason is, streetwear’s obsession with gems seems to be reaching its apex right now and there has been no shortage of brands trying to get a piece of the bedazzled pie.
Will we look at some of these shimmering items in our closets in a few months and wish we didn’t spend our money on them? Maybe. But that’s why you should never go too overboard with trends like this. Grab an item or two that you genuinely like and will get a ton of wear out of. Don’t just flip your entire wardrobe upside-down and cover everything in colorful gemstones to match your social media Explore pages.
Just make sure you have your sunglasses ready. The sun is going to be bouncing off of a lot of outfits this summer.
