By Howard Campbell—-
KANGOL headwear, synonymous with hip-hop and dancehall artistes from the 1980s, has branched out into the roots-reggae market.
The famous British brand, which has been around for nearly 100 years, recently signed a deal with musician Addis Pablo and his Suns of Dub group to sport their products.
Speaking to the Jamaica Observer from Paris where he is touring, 25-year-old Pablo said the deal had been in the making for a year.
“Kangol was working with a PR company based in New York called Exposure on a online radio project called Radio Kangol, which would go on to feature a rockers station curated by Ras Jammy (of Suns of Dub). The designs of the hats were done by Isis Swaby, Augustus Pablo’s daughter, so the deal had two parts; one which entailed the online radio station and the hat designed by Isis, with options for more projects or designs depending on the success of these first projects,” Pablo explained.
Addis Pablo (real name Addis Swaby) is also the child of Augustus Pablo, the master dub exponent who was a leader of the rockers movement of the mid- to late-1970s. He died in May 1999 at age 44.
Like his father, Addis Pablo plays the melodica and has quietly established a following in Europe.
The Kangol company initially manufactured headwear including berets for military units in the United Kingdom. The company entered a different market at the dawn of the 1980s when hip-hop acts like Run DMC, LL Cool J and Slick Rick wore their new line of leisure hats and caps.
Tenor Saw and Johnny Osbourne were among the dancehall acts who also also wore Kangols. Pablo hopes the deal with the world-famous brand can broaden his and Suns of Dub’s appeal.
“The collaboration will hopefully lead to expansion of our fan base and at the same time further the reach of Kangol with the younger generation which may not be as familiar with LL Cool J and Run DMC who helped to build the Kangol brand,” he said.
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