Is Paper Planes Worth It?
Short answer: the headwear is the strong buy, the apparel is a try-before-you-buy, and the honest version of that answer takes about three minutes to read.
This site is a retail directory, not the brand, and not a store. Nothing here is sold, so nothing here needs you to buy. That is the spirit of what follows: what is documented, what the criticisms say, and where the money argument actually lands.
The case for the hats
The structured caps are built on New Era silhouettes, the 9Fifty and the 59Fifty, through a real manufacturing partnership. That single fact carries most of the quality question, because it means a Paper Planes fitted is constructed to the same standard as the caps worn on professional fields, by the company that has made them for a century. The mark is embroidered, not printed, and the signature pin is a finishing detail most brands at this price skip.
When Lids first took the Crown Fitted national in 2020 it retailed at $60. Licensed New Era fitteds from major labels sit in the same band, so the brand prices its flagship product with its construction peers rather than above them. You are not paying a celebrity tax on the hat, which, given who co-founded the brand, is mildly surprising and worth saying.
What the criticisms say
Look the brand up and you will find low review scores and comments calling pieces overpriced or underwhelming, and it would be dishonest to pretend otherwise. Read closely and the complaints cluster around three things: price expectations, apparel basics ("a tee is a tee"), and online-order experiences, sizing surprises, delivery gripes.
Two of those three are apparel and internet problems, not construction problems, and the third is the standard argument against every streetwear brand that ever charged more than a blank. What the criticisms do fairly flag: if you buy a logo tee expecting luxury fabric at a basic price, no brand survives that math, this one included.
The apparel, honestly
The tees, hoodies and sets carry the same design language as the headwear, and the sets in particular are the brand's apparel argument: coordinated pieces built to be worn as one look. What this page will not do is score fabric weight and stitch density it has not put hands on, and no honest review site should either.
Which is exactly why the apparel verdict is: handle it first. Sixty-plus independent shops and the flagship let you feel the fabric, check the fit and walk out sure, and that option converts the riskiest part of the purchase into no risk at all. A brand you can audit in person before paying is a brand that is easier to trust.
Fit consistency
Headwear fit is the brand's quiet advantage: because the structured caps sit on standardized New Era silhouettes, a 7 3/8 fitted is a 7 3/8 fitted, this year and next. Know your size once and reorders are safe. Sizing guide here. Apparel sizing is streetwear-cut; between sizes, try on, see above.
Price against comparable streetwear
Positioned against the field: meaningfully below hype-tier brands whose snapbacks and hoodies trade at multiples of retail, in the same band as other New Era-built licensed headwear, above blank-plus-logo mall brands. The premium over the mall tier buys documented construction and a mark with an actual story; whether that story is worth it to you is the one question no review can answer.
The smartest first buy
The Original Crown snapback. It adjusts, so sizing cannot go wrong; it is the founding product, so it is the most recognizable piece; and it is carried widely enough that you can buy it in person. If it wins you over, the fitted is the upgrade path. The full buyer's guide.
Verdict
Worth it for the headwear on construction alone, priced with its peers rather than above them. Worth it for the apparel when you have handled the piece, which the retail network makes easy. Not worth it if what you want is luxury fabric at basic prices, but then nothing in streetwear is.
FAQ
Is Paper Planes a good brand?
The headwear is built on New Era silhouettes through a manufacturing partnership, which settles most of the quality question. Apparel is design-led; handle it in a shop before buying.
Why are Paper Planes reviews mixed?
Complaints cluster around price expectations, apparel basics and online-order experiences. Construction of the structured headwear is not the pattern in the criticism.
Is Paper Planes overpriced?
The flagship fitted launched at $60, in the same band as licensed New Era fitteds from major labels. The apparel carries a streetwear premium over blank basics, as all streetwear does.
What should I buy first from Paper Planes?
The Original Crown snapback: adjustable, signature, and widely available in person. Where to find it.