Dolly Faibyshev's photographs of the 146th Belmont Stakes prove that Americans wear their racing hats a little differently than the Brits.
For those who are unfamiliar, the Belmont is a Thoroughbred horse racing event, held five weeks after the Kentucky Derby, at New York's Belmont Park. The race is the third and final leg of the 'Triple Crown,' the most prestigious series of races for Thoroughbreds. As is customary, the crowds attend these events in wildly outrageous hats. But whereas the British are fond of protruding mesh hats that look vaguely dangerous, their American counterparts have a little more fun by donning novelty horse heads.
Faibyshev's collection of images, which are featured in The New Yorker, are super saturated, slightly awkward and thick with sweat and anticipation for the race to come. Best of all is the ostentatious fashion, filled with tawdry colors and tacky patterns -- we're off to races!
What's Driving This Trend
- Thoroughbred Horse Racing Fashion
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create a line of fashionable and stylish hats and accessories specifically designed for Thoroughbred horse racing spectators.
- Highly Saturation Photography
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop an app or software that automatically enhances and saturates photographs to create visually striking and immersive images.
- Novelty Horse Head Accessories
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Design and manufacture a range of high-quality and customizable novelty horse heads for horse racing spectators to wear during events.
Who This Affects Most
- Fashion
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Integrate technology and modern design concepts into traditional horse racing fashion to create a new and unique clothing line.
- Photography
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Develop advanced photography equipment and techniques specifically catered towards capturing the energy and excitement of horse racing events.
- Accessories
- Disruptive innovation opportunity: Create a niche market for customized, high-quality accessories that cater specifically to horse racing spectators, such as hats, headpieces, and other novelty items.
