Newsboy hat - What's Hot - Is hottest headwear trend for 2003 - Brief Article

DSN Retailing Today, Feb 24, 2003

Hats off to caps, one of the top growth areas in the still-exploding accessories category.

The hottest headwear for 2003 is the newsboy cap. It first gained popularity after very un-newsboy-like pop stars, including Britney Spears, sported the look. Now the headgear is as mainstream as trends come, selling extremely well everywhere from Urban Outfitters to Wal-Mart.

"We have seen continued double-digit sell-throughs across the board, in all levels of the retail channels we sell," says Edward Mar, president of Fantasia Accessories Ltd.

The most popular color is black, but colors have been surprisingly strong.

"Fashion color has done very well for us," adds Mar. "Camel is a bestseller and browns are our hottest-trending colors." Menswear patterns are expected to be important, including updated tweeds like Fantasia's (shown).