Finally, Election Merch That Makes a Real Statement
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We’re living in a moment where many key fashion trends are being dictated by color. Last summer was all about Barbie pink; this summer, lime green has bled into the zeitgeist thanks to Charli XCX’s album Brat. On the political spectrum, however, the idea of using a singular hue to identify with one political ideal, party, or candidate may be coming to an end, at least for now. Camo has officially entered the chat, thanks to a new Democratic party campaign hat that dropped earlier this week after Vice President Kamala Harris announced her running mate, the easygoing, straight-shooting Minnesota governor Tim Walz.
Done in Realtree camo—a print that mimics actual trees, rather than the more abstract camo print of yore—the hat features the “Harris Walz” logo in bright orange letters. The choice of Realtree feels deliberate: It’s a specifically Midwestern, hunter-coded style that has been adapted ironically by queer and Gen Z audiences in recent years. Chappell Roan even used the print in her “Midwest Princess” hat, a connection many online observers noted as soon as the Harris/Walz hat appeared.
Walz wore his own utilitarian camo hat, along with a T-shirt, khakis, and sneakers, the day he accepted the nomination. This is how he typically dresses, and it’s part of his inherent charm. It is also indicative of the type of candidate he will be: staunchly liberal, but also a straight white man who proudly owns a gun, someone who is authentic and balanced, calls opponents “weird,” and adeptly balances his bullishness with a teddy bear demeanor.
The hat has gone viral, and according to Teen Vogue, it sold out within minutes to the tune of nearly $1 million. On TikTok, one only needs to do a single scroll to find enthusiastic memes about it, talking about the genius of the callback to Roan and articulating ideas along the lines of “Even our merch is better.” In an election cycle that has seemed, at least up until now, confusing, chaotic, and somewhat hopeless, this youthful enthusiasm is encouraging.
Those who work in fashion are equally excited about the merch. Today, a colleague told me about a spirited conversation she and her fellow Gen Z friends had about buying the new merch. One friend said she needed the hat; another said she planned to give one to her children as “an artifact from the first female presidency.”
“I got mine at about 8am today,” says fashion stylist Will Graper, who went to high school in Tallahassee. “Taking back the Florida fashions one trucker cap at a time!” For Graper, the hat is a sign that Democrats are getting more serious about their branding. “The Republicans have smartly latched on to things that already have a strong brand identity—red/white/blue, country music, the flag. This is such a great script flip.”
What makes the Harris Walz camo hat feel so special as a visual marker is that it’s the rare piece of election merch that deliberately reaches across demographics. If camouflage has long been associated with conservative values and signifiers like gun ownership and military dominance, this hat opens up the possibility that anyone can co-opt and break down the confines of right-wing lore. The nod to subversive Gen Z style adds another layer, making the hat serious, funny, provocative, pertinent, and democratic all at once.
It’s also not relegated to a color cue like every other piece of political merch we’ve come into contact with over the last two decades. It’s not MAGA red, and it’s not pussy pink, and it doesn’t exist for one person or group of people with similar beliefs or body parts—instead, it’s trying to speak to the masses. Kudos to Harris and Walz and their team for paying attention. Their campaign hat will be remembered for going viral, selling out in minutes, and being inspired by a Midwest Princess and an average dude. It will be remembered for a lot of things, but particularly the way it’s about bridging gaps across America. And that’s the real hope of this election and the future, isn’t it?
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