Once a hallmark of red state Republicans, Realtree camo has been claimed by the coastal elites – but now its imagined cred could be under threat
“You asked, we answered,” says a message on the website of presidential candidate and sitting VP Kamala Harris. No, the line of text is not referring to a specific policy or any real political change, but the product description for a brand new camouflage cap that’s just hit Harris’ official store. The hat – a Realtree style with the words ‘Harris Walz’ embroidered in orange – first appeared on the head of Harris’ running mate Tim Walz when he posted a picture to his X account. The new merch is a take on another camo cap that Walz wore while accepting Harris’ invitation to become her running mate, and, according to the campaign, they’re selling like hotcakes. Just yesterday, Teen Vogue reported that the Harris-Walz campaign had sold out of the initial 3,000 piece run in just 30 minutes, and had also generated close to $1million in sales.
Walz, the governor of Minnesota, is a proud gun owner and proponent of the kind of middle American values you might expect from people who wear hunting gear, despite being a bleeding heart liberal himself. The camouflage hat is clearly a reference to that kind of Republican-coded style, but more importantly it’s a reference to the urban gays who’ve reappropriated that style in recent years. Starting on the streets of Bushwick and spreading across the globe, the post-pandemic resurgence of Realtree camouflage spoke to its somewhat subversive bent, because what’s more ironic than a left-leaning queer dressing up as a gun-toting Republican? A few years ago brands like Praying were cashing in on the trend, and since then things have trickled down to the mainstream, with places like ASOS and Abercrombie & Fitch also going green – but even still, the Harris Walz cap threatens to destabilise any credibility the camo cap has left.
Unfortunately, the Harris campaign taking something culturally relevant and making it cringe has precedent. The vice president’s repurposing of Charli xcx’s slime green aesthetic put the final nail in the coffin of Brat Summer, and now the camouflage hat’s cult cred could be under threat, too. What’s more, the Harris Walz hat is almost identical in design to a cap recently put out by Chappell Roan, a fact that didn’t go unnoticed by the US singer. Though Realtree camo and orange lettering is a classic pairing – and definitely wasn’t invented by Roan – it’s not a coincidence that the Harris campaign is once again forging links to an in-demand pop girl, and gleaning some of that much needed cultural cache. Despite being an obvious reach for youth voters by the campaign, it seems to be working – the cap is selling out and the online reaction is hailing Walz as a ‘Midwest Princess’ just like Roan. Could Kamala Harris be onto her own MAGA hat sensation? Let us see.