Tony Donez
@ynot_kicksandcaps
An OG in the game of fitted hats, our collector this week is not here for the hype. For someone who started his collection at an early age, he’s still adding to that count on a weekly basis, but with more meaning now. Let’s jump into it.
Tell us a little bit about yourself and when you fell in love with fitted caps?
I’m a 46 year old married father of 3, and with so many young people in the hat game I feel like a weathered veteran lol. My dad bought me my first fitted around 1985-86. It was the classic California Angels hat with the haloed A logo. I wore that hat every day for years. Shortly after that he brought home some MiLB hats he picked up on a work trip, and I remember falling in love with the Greensboro Hornets logo. He was a collector too. At one point he had all 26 MLB teams (that’s how many there were when I was growing up) and had them displayed — I thought it was so cool. I’ve been hooked ever since.
How many caps do you currently have in your collection?
Man you’re asking questions that might get me in trouble at home now lol. I don’t have an exact number, but it’s safe to say there are 900+ hats in the collection.
Why do you prefer fitted caps over any other hat style?
My collecting started pre-internet, and there weren’t a ton of stores that sold on field fitteds 40 years ago. And I grew up a huge sports fan, sports is huge in my family. So to have the same hats that my favorite players were wearing on TV was such a cool thing to me. That love of the fitted just stayed with me.
When shopping for a new cap, what draws your attention?
I’m a little past the part of my life that “hype” means much to me, so really if a hat catches my eye right off the bat, I’ll look into it. I’m big on contrasting colors so 2 tones are always a favorite. Metallic stitching is a great look when it’s done right. But with that many hats in my collection, I can’t really say I discriminate at all lol. If I like it, I buy it
Do you have any crazy stories or adventures for trying to purchase a cap?
Not really. I’m a sneakerhead too, so I have definitely waited in long lines, tried to hit on SNKRS from 4 or 5 different devices early morning, all of that. But nothing too crazy for hats. I guess hitting up a reseller and paying a little tax to get a hard to get hat is the wildest, but what collector hasn’t done that?
What cap have you been reaching for the most lately?
I don’t really have a go to. If I had to choose one, I’m a Yankees fan, so the OG on field Yankees will always be my favorite.
Are there any caps that you’re still on the hunt for?
Not really. There are so many great hats coming out pretty much weekly, even daily. So if I miss out on one, I’m pretty confident another one will come along.
Last, is there anything you want to see more of when it comes to fitted hats?
I love seeing independent designers getting a chance to have their hats made. I dove back into collecting hard about 3 years ago, and my favorite part of it was seeing the whole Friends ‘N Family (FNF) scene. Seeing someone take an idea all the way through to the production process is awesome. I tap into as many FNF’s as I can. I love supporting cool people, and knowing that I have a hat that is maybe 1 of 18, or 36 is cool to me. So I hope to see more of that happening and maybe some designers ride that wave and start designing for stores regularly.