Putting an End to Hairstyle-Hiding Hats with a See-Through Cap

There are few brands more directly opposed than Sport Clips Haircuts and Lids. The former provides fresh trims across the nation, while the latter works hard to cover people’s hair – albeit with stylish, licensed sports headwear. In theory, the two have an antithetical existence. After all, what good is a great new haircut if it’s concealed – or even tousled and tangled – by a hat?

Austin-based independent creative agency Preacher has a solution: ‘The Clear Hat’. 

It’s exactly what you think. Sport Clips challenged the agency to make them more relevant in culture, says senior art director Will McLeod, and the result was an unconventional collaboration with Lids to create ‘hair’s favourite hat’ – a transparent cap designed to show off your new cut.

“Before we arrived at the idea of ‘The Clear Hat’, we swirled around this interesting insight about guys putting on a hat immediately after a haircut,” Will tells LBB. “It’s sort of this unspoken faux pas that most guys aren’t aware of, but that stylists definitely notice. Sport Clips definitely shared our intrigue over the concept, but none of us were sure the idea was feasible or possible. I would describe it as nervous excitement.”

After designing the hat with a little help from generative AI software Midjourney, the Preacher team approached Lids, who shared the excitement and were confident in their ability to manufacture the clear caps.

“A few weeks later, we had a meeting with their team, and they surprised us with the very first prototype of the hat,” says Will. “It was shockingly accurate to the original comp, so we didn’t need to make many alterations. We were most nervous about the transparent, curved brim, but it ended up being even better than we imagined.”

Since the campaign was a collaboration, Preacher looked toward other brand mash-ups for inspiration around marketing something so ridiculous – taking particular note of Miller Lite and New Balance’s ‘Shoezie’, and the KFC Crocs. The resulting video for the campaign is appropriately silly, with the heir (and hair) of a genuine beauty or fashion spot, and the ridiculous apparel as the glitzy star of the show.

“We just wanted to make this piece of content as entertaining as possible,” Will added. “My personal favourite moment comes around the 38-second mark, when one of the guys stares piercingly at the camera through the brim. It’s so dumb. It always puts a smile on my face.”

Several overly serious models wear the Clear Hats in equally preposterous poses for comedic effect in the film, all donning a different hair style – including a magnificent mullet-moustache combo. “The mullet was on the moodboard from day one,” says Will. “The moustaches were pure coincidence, but we think they paired quite well. Given the ridiculousness of the product, we wanted the casting, the wardrobe and haircuts to really lean into the humour. Hence the mullet hero shot.”

“The shoot was a lot of fun,” he continues. “There were definitely some unexpected challenges on set, like experimenting with the best way to shoot a very reflective and smudge-prone hat. But my favourite part was kerning those letters made out of hair trimmings. It was stressful in the moment, but it was a necessary evil.”

The Clear Hats debuted on National Hat Day (January 15th) and the highly shareable ‘Rival-We’ launch spot aired across social channels including Instagram, Facebook and TikTok. 

One hundred exclusive Clear Hats are also up for grabs via an Instagram giveaway through January 20th, so winners can finally put an end to this age-old dispute. The days of hair versus hat are over. Stylists nationwide rejoice.