History of the New Era brand
What is the history of the popular New Era caps?
The beginning of the New Era company begins in America, when German immigrant and craftsman Ehrhardt Koch saw an opportunity to change the production process and quality of "fashionable" headgear. In 1920, he borrows money from his sister and founds the New Era Cap Co. Already in the first year, his company was able to produce 60,000 Gatsby-style caps.
In 1932, his son Harold joins him. Harold noticed that the demand for fashionable headgear was fading, while professional baseball was becoming more popular. So it launches a new item - a baseball cap. The first New Era professional baseball cap was produced in 1934 for the Cleveland Indians sports team. They experience a difficult time during the Second World War. The company faced a shortage of production materials, but thanks to their ingenuity, they decided to process the remnants of ordinary fabrics. During this time, they dyed the fabrics at home in a washing machine to match the colors of the teams.
By 1950, New Era was the only independent cap manufacturer supplying major league baseball teams. The client list included 16 teams of the time such as the Brooklyn Dodgers®, Cincinnati Reds®, Cleveland Indians® and Detroit Tigers®. In 1954, Harold designed the New Era 59FIFTY style cap, which has a more modern look. Due to high demand in the 1960s, they open a manufacturing facility in Derby, New York. This factory became the exclusive manufacturer of the iconic 59FIFTY® silhouette.
New Era was invited to MLB to sell caps to all teams. This was a major milestone for this brand. In 1972, Harold's son David was named president – 14 years after he started working for the company. A few years later, Chris Koch , David's son, continued the tradition and began working at the Derby factory for his grandfather and father.
The 1980s under the leadership of David Koch became a decade of sustained growth. The company produced caps for college sports teams and international baseball leagues, and began selling the headgear to sports fans as well. New Era was named the exclusive cap supplier to Major League Baseball in 1993. During 1996, the company partnered with director Spike Lee, who designed their first ever custom-made cap.
In the late 20th century, the company expands and opens branches in Europe, Japan and Australia. New Era became the world leader in the production of headgear, which moves in the world of sports, fashion, music and entertainment. After decades of working with MLB, New Era has decided to extend its exclusivity to other major sports leagues. In 2012, New Era became the official cap supplier for the NFL and, in 2016, the NBA. New Era thus became the only brand in sports history to hold exclusive headgear rights for all three major American leagues at the same time. New Era has been producing headwear for over 100 years ! Today, it also produces winter hats, clothing and accessories inspired by street culture combined with athletic tradition.
