The popularity and success of retailer The Cap City proves that Bill O’Reilly’s assertion that Malaysians cannot afford to buy “a little hat” is demonstrably false

The Cap City flagship in Subang, Selangor

Bill O’Reilly will be shocked to know—and bless his heart—that hats are widely sold in Malaysia. And that Malaysians do use headwear bought with their own money. This little verifiable fact and the existence of thriving hat shops in Kuala Lumpur and it surrounding areas, such as 11-year-old The Cap City in neighbouring Subang, easily contradicts Mr O’Reilly’s ignorant assertion that Malaysians are too “poor” to even buy “a little hat” and undermines his curiously simplistic economic viewpoint. Or, as we suspect, affirms his geographical and cultural illiteracy.

The hat or topi isn’t alien to Malaysian sartorial tradition. Among the Malays, hats are worn regularly in the form of the songkok—traditional, flat-top (atap leper) headgear worn by males or, for the even more traditional, the tanjak (also known as the tengkolok), an asymmetrical folded hat, once associated with Malay warriors, the pahlawans. These days, the young folks, like those everywhere, are inspired by American fashion and tend to prefer and buy caps, such as those by MLB and New Era—their standalone stores can be found throughout Malaysia. Are these typically seen in markets where the majority of the population is struggling with poverty so extreme that they are “barely eating”?

The sleek industrial interior of The Cap City

The fact that The Cap City, a store specializing in hats, is thriving in Subang, west of the Malaysian capital, certainly shows that there is a market for headwear and that Malaysians indeed have the means to purchase a small but tangible fashion item. The Cap City’s wide selection of caps—with designs for different states of the Malay Peninsula—indeed contradicts Mr O’Reilly’s ludicrous belief that Malaysians are too impoverished to afford discretionary items. The diverse range of hats, sufficient to fill an entire wall, suggests that there’s a customer base with varying tastes and purchasing power. On Google reviews, one delighted customer gushed: “Everyone should be here at least ONCE!”

The Cap City or TCC, as it is affectionately known by their regulars and the pillars of the KL streetwear scene, was founded in 2013 by Subangite Nigel Sparks. In the beginning, Mr Sparks sold primarily American cap brands such as New Era (they’re made in China and Vietnam) before he decided to try his hand at designing a cap on his own. That piece known as the Hater was an overnight sensation—it sold over 1,000 pieces. That prompted Mr Sparks to reimagine TCC as “a full Cap City brand”. Early this year, he celebrated his 11th year in the business with a totally refurbished, three-storey space. And a special piece for the brand’s anniversary, the ‘Forever KL Legacy Cap’, with the initials studded in diamonds—925 of them. The asking price: RM5,000 (or US$1,146). Would Bill O’Reilly call that a symbol of poverty?

Photos: thecapcity/Instagram