New Era Cap Company
| File:New Era logo.JPG | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Apparel |
| Founded | 1920 |
| Headquarters | Derby, New York |
Key people | Chris Koch, CEO |
| Products | Headwear |
| Revenue | $100-$500 million (2003 est.)[1] |
| Unknown (private) | |
| Unknown (private) | |
Number of employees | 1,500 |
| Website | neweracap.com |
The New Era Cap Company, based in the Buffalo suburb of Derby, New York, is the largest sports-licensed headwear company in the United States. The company is the premier cap provider for MLB, as well as a number of NBA and NHL franchises, plus a handful of major collegiate athletic programs. Its premier ballcap is known as the "59-Fifty", a structured, fitted, 100% wool cap, which is worn by Major League Baseball players and umpires during competition.
New Era caps are mostly sold and distributed through large retail chain operations, but the company also contracts with independent retailers who wish to carry their product lines. In May of 2006, the company opened a wholly owned and operated Flagship Store in New York City, which it heralded as offering the largest collection of exclusive New Era product offerings.
Although New Era offers a range of "59-Fifty" caps, their most prominent and recognizable cap is modeled with a flat cap bill. This is the style most popular with urban consumers, who have adopted the style from its prominence in rap & hip-hop culture.
The brand recognition of New Era and the "59-Fifty" has resulted in the cap becoming a popular fashion element, particularly reflected in urban & hip-hop culture. The most common and popular cap is the New York Yankees 59FIFTY Flat bill cap. Popularized by rap artists, athletes and other prominent cultural figures, the caps have become a staple of urban fashion. Individuals select and wear the caps as a testament to what sports teams they like, where they hail from, or because of fashion elements in the cap design. Conscious of the fashion status of the "59-Fifty", New Era has taken care to produce MLB team caps in a wide range of styles and a large assortment of colors, including popular colors that have no traditional team association. Also to drive this demand, New Era now releases designs and styles to correspond with the release of seasonal fashion lines.
Hip-hop culture has especially influenced the manner in which people wear the "59-Fifty". Popularized by artists such as 50 Cent, T.I., and Big Boi as an urban accessory, the cap is usually sported with a flat cap bill, to which the gold New Era sticker is left affixed. The sticker, which is affixed by New Era before shipment, is left to mirror the impression made by rap artists that their New Era caps are brand new each time they wear one.
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