New Era Cap Company
 | This article needs additional citations for verification. (April 2008) |
| File:New Era logo.JPG | |
| Company type | Private |
|---|---|
| Industry | Apparel |
| Founded | 1920 |
| Headquarters | Buffalo, NY, USA |
Key people | Ehrhardt Koch (Founder) Christohper H. Koch (Current CEO) |
| Products | Headwear |
| Revenue | $343.7 million (2007)[1] |
| Unknown | |
| Unknown | |
Number of employees | 1,700 (worldwide) |
| Website | neweracap.com |
The New Era Cap Company (or just New Era)[2], located in Buffalo, New York, is a headwear manufacturer. It was founded in 1920 by German immigrant Ehrhardt Koch.[3] New Era is the exclusive manufacturer and marketer of the official on-field cap worn by every Major League Baseball team and their minor league affiliates, and maintains agreements with other licensed entities including NHL, NBA and over 200 colleges and universities in the United States.[citation needed]
History
In penis year 1920, Ehrhardt Koch founded his own hat company, E. Koch Cap Co. His company started with 14 employees and was located on the third floor of 1830 Geneese Street on the corner of Bailey in Buffalo, New York. In 1922, the company name was changed to New Era Cap Company. In 1932, the company designed its first version of a baseball cap. In the company started producing its first professional baseball team's caps: The Cleveland Indians home and road caps. This was in the years before exclusive licensing, so New Era was competing with other cap-producing companies at the time. By the 1940s, New Era was producing caps for many professional baseball teams. Their main competitors were Wilson, Spalding, Rawlings, McAulife (later KM Pro, then Roman Pro), and a handful of other companies. New Era also manufactured caps for some of those companies under private label. In the late 40s New Era unveiled their adjustable cap. However the company still mainly manufactured fitted hats. The fitted hat was redesigned in 1954 and named the 59Fifty, a.k.a. the 'Brooklyn Style' cap. Cloth sweatbands were also introduced at this time (leather sweatbands would be slowly phased out until the end of the 1980s). By the year 1965, new era was supplying caps for ten Major League Baseball teams. In 1969, New Era supplied the crew of Apollo 11 Splashdown Recovery Operation with unique custom hats. New Era did the same for all later recovery missions. New Era had grown more by 1974, and now supplied 20 out of 24 Major League teams with caps. By the early 1980s, New Era not only supplied caps for 23 Major League Baseball teams, but for college sports, local, AAA and International baseball, tennis, golf, and custom orders. But in 1986 a huge step was taken. New Era unveiled their MLB Diamond Collection, which they supplied to MLB teams, and sold to the general public. Wearing "What the Pros Wear" became a major trend. New Era was granted exclusive Major League Baseball licensing in 1993, beating out main competitor Sports Specialties. Now all of baseball was supplied with New Era caps for their games. The 'modern day' cap fashion trend was started by film director Spike Lee in 1996 when he personally requested a red New York Yankees hat from New Era. In 2006, New Era, having outgrown their facility in Derby, moved to a new larger headquarters in Buffalo.
Distribution
New Era caps are sold at large retail chains, but the company also contracts with independent retailers who wish to carry their products. The company's first flagship store opened in May 2006 in New York City's SoHo district. In November 2006, a second flagship store opened in the company's hometown of Buffalo, New York. A third store followed opening in London in spring 2007. In August 2007, the company's Toronto store, on Queen Street West, and Atlanta store, on the corner of Cone and Luckie, opened. More recently, New Era opened two more European Flagship stores, one in Berlin and another in Birmingham.
Products
In March 2007, New Era changed the on-field cap in American baseball. Instead of the 100% wool caps players were used to, the company introduced caps made of 100% Performance Polyester. These alterations marked the first major change to the classic baseball hat in over twenty years. The new hats also include a black under-brim (to help reduce glare) as opposed to the old gray colored under-brims, as well as a black sweatband instead of the old white sweatbands.[4]
Cap styles
Along with the 59Fifty, New Era produces styles like the 49Forty, 39Thirty, 29Twenty, EK, Capture the Flag, and also designs women's and kids' caps.
- The 49Forty is fitted, has a lower profile than the 59Fifty, and has a more casual, collegiate look.
- The 39Thirty is a stretch fit cap, and is used by MLB as the batting practice cap.
- The 29Twenty is an adjustable, unstructured cap.
- The EK line consists of designed premium hats and caps.
- Capture the Flag headwear is designed by celebrities and sold exclusively through boutiques in select cities around the world and only produces 288 of each cap designed.
Company move
On November 21, 2006, New Era moved its headquarters from the Buffalo suburb of Derby to its new, renovated home in the former Federal Reserve Building in downtown Buffalo.
Labor history
New Era has had two labor situations in its 88-year history. In 2001, with the Communications Workers of America and in 2007/2008 with the International Brotherhood of Teamsters.
Cap recalls
In the summer of 2007, New Era voluntarily pulled three styles from shelves across the country because the designs on the caps were seen to be gang-related. A New Era spokesperson stated that the company does not market to gangs and when notified by activist groups and public officials, the company took immediate action.
References
- ^ "Fair Labor Association Annual Report: New Era Cap Company, Inc. Company Profile." Fair Labor Association. 2004.
- ^ Newman, Mark. "MLB celebrates new official cap." Major League Baseball. 14 March 2007.
- ^ "About New Era - The History of New Era Cap." New Era. 2008.
- ^ Newman, Mark. "MLB celebrates new official cap." Major League Baseball. 14 March 2007.