A possible A/W trend for the UK...

Last year, it was hard not to go anywhere without seeing one particular hat
That hat was a knitted panda design from River Island
Worn by any one frm any fashion background
(From goths, to even the note taker of my British Sign Language lectures)

This hat was clearly a statement piece for A/W 2009
It was sold out everywhere and selling for sometimes up to 10 times it's RRP on eBay

So of course, River Island now have to do what they can to take the lead again
and how are they taking this challenge?
By releasing a collection of knitted animal hats

Firstly is a re-design of the panda hat
This has a more beret feel to the design
and admittingly, I didn't find the original cute anyway so this isn't doing it for me

But if you're bored of panda's, then don't dispair
They have a whole woodland of designs awaiting you!

The hat they seem to be pushing the most so far is this
A bear hat that I think was modelled on my mum's Bichon Frise
This so far is the only hat I've seen featured in all stores rather than selective ones
and as you can see, like last years panda it brands the "Love this" logo
If I had to bet on the trend taking on again, this would be my bet for leadership

Other animals wanting to crawl their way onto your heads are...

A raccoon


Another raccoon, according to the website
But for me, this is a lot more Fox-like


A dog with patchy eye

and even
a rabbit design with long ears
I can imagine this type of hat would be popular with Anime/manga fans
as it's not uncommon to see them wearing these types of hats anyway
Now instead of having them made or importing them, they can pop into their River store!


Also noted is the continuation of the panda with this Snood (Scarf, Hood)

Personally;
I can't say I'm a huge fan of this trend, and as previously mentioned I didn't like it last year
But it was something so big and in your face it can't be ignored
and I am still interested to see if the success of these hats will continue this year
Or maybe their time is up and another hat will reign supreme
Though it has to be said, most of these hats are very cute pieces
They are just something I wouldn't personally wish to place upon my head lol

What do you think?
Do you like these hats? Do you already own one?
You can buy these hats instore or via the webite ; River Island online