Knit Cap Worn by Kurt Cobain

Caps, like this green, black, and grey wool knitted beanie worn by Kurt Cobain (1967-1994) of the band Nirvana, were extremely popular at the height of the 1990s Grunge music scene. This beanie was accidentally left by Cobain in Minneapolis, Minnesota, in 1991, after an in-store signing at Northern Lights Records before a performance at the landmark First Avenue Nightclub. 

With the release of Nevermind on September 24, 1991, and the constant MTV rotation of the single, “Smells Like Teen Spirit,” Nirvana became the face of the once underground genre of Grunge and suddenly made Seattle and the Pacific Northwest the epicenter of popular music culture in the early 1990s. Nirvana’s global fame also popularized the regional attire worn by much of Seattle’s youth. Comprised of beanies similar to this one, ripped jeans, oversized plaid flannel shirts, thrifted garments, and army surplus jackets and boots, the stylistic influence could soon be seen across America and around the world. While it was largely ignored by mainstream fashion, couturiers and high fashion magazines featured elevated versions of the Grunge style throughout the early 1990s. 

By the end of 1991, Nevermind was selling over 400,000 copies per week and by January 1992, the album was #1 on the Billboard 200 Top Albums chart. Nirvana’s success paved the way for bands like Soundgarden, Pearl Jam, Alice in Chains, Screaming Trees, and others who soon followed. By all accounts, 1992 was the year of Grunge, and that year Nirvana undertook two tours; Cobain married Courtney Love (b. 1964) of the band Hole; Cobain’s and Love’s daughter, Frances Bean, was born; and the band headlined the Reading Festival.  Despite difficulties with drug use, Cobain continued to perform throughout 1993 and the beginning of 1994, when Nirvana had to cut their European tour short due to his overdose in Rome, Italy. On April 8, 1994, Kurt Cobain was found in his Seattle home, dead by suicide. He was 27 years old.  

Despite his tragic death which lead to Nirvana disbanding, Nirvana and the Grunge genre have made an indelible mark on popular music that resonates to this day.