Watch: Giant Wales bucket hat has appeared in Swansea

Swansea is the location for the latest giant Wales bucket hats that have been popping up around the nation.

After bucket hats were placed in Cardiff and Wrexham, another appeared late last night in Swansea city centre.

The hats are part of the build up to the World Cup from the Football Association of Wales in conjunction with Spirit of ’58 – the brand responsible the distinctive bucket hats now synonymous with the Red Wall.

The giant bucket hats will serve as brilliant attractions for people to have their photos taken with as excitement builds ahead of Cymru’s first appearance at a World Cup since 1958.

And there are more hats still to be placed, so keep your eyes peeled over the coming days.

A giant bucket hat has appeared in the centre of Swansea. Complete with @FAWales crest, it’ll help Cymru celebrate their first @FIFAWorldCup since 1958.https://t.co/XH70dCWNTK #gwylcymru #TogetherStronger #TîmCymru22 #ArBenYByd #Swans pic.twitter.com/59OxElfY8U

— Swansea Council (@SwanseaCouncil) November 9, 2022

The hats from SO58 – the company who are based in Bala are so popular they’ve been flying out every time they are restocked.

So in demand are they, the original Spirit of ’58 bucket hats have been changing hands for hundreds of pounds on eBay.

Since diehard Wales football fan Tim Williams launched the label in 2010, Spirit of 58 has dovetailed perfectly with the reinvention of Welsh international football.

The Bala-based company has created a whole range of clothing linked to Welsh football.

However, it’s the bucket hat that remains Spirit of 58’s most popular item.

And with Wales qualifying for two European Championships and now a World Cup, the SO58 hats have become like gold dust.

The original Spirit Of 58 bucket hats, that usually retail for less than £20, have morphed into many different versions over the years, but it’s testimony to Tim’s love of music and The Stone Roses in particular that it exists at all.

“In the late ‘80s and ‘90s me and my mates from Bala were all into the Roses,” he says. “A gang of us went to Spike Island. (Stone Roses drummer) Reni wore a bucket hat and introduced the world to it. He and the Roses had a big influence on a lot of people back then and the style of clothing they wore.

“We were into music and clothes and it’s stayed with me all these years later. Local people probably looked at us back then and thought ‘what the hell do they look like?’ But we didn’t care. It was a lot of fun going to gigs, getting into the car and driving to gigs in Manchester and Liverpool.

“I started supporting Wrexham when my dad took me to my first match aged nine, and music, football and fashion have always gone hand in hand.

“But I took a chance with the bucket hat and luckily for me it worked.”