Who talks hats in the Hip Hop fashion world without mentioning New Era? The company that took a little advice from Spike Lee in the early 90s and then turned the fitted hats game out gave Urb1 magazine a little bit of their time. Catch a preview of the article that will be in the 2nd, March issue of Urb1 magazine! Find what's going on with the 59Fifty@50 collection and New Era's expansion hat collection.



( URB1 ) HEY, WHAT'S UP? WHAT'S GOOD MS CRYSTAL HOWARD? HOW ARE YOU?
( NEW ERA CAP ) I’m good, what’s good with you Rod?

( URB1 ) I'M GOOD NO DOUBT... GLAD TO BE HERE DOING THIS INTERVIEW WITH YOU. I KNOW EVERYBODY WANTS TO KNOW EVERYTHING THAT WE ARE ABOUT TO GET INTO, AND NO ONE WILL HAVE THE INFO BUT URB1.COM!

WELL, I ALREADY KNOW WHAT YOU DO BUT MOST OTHERS DON'T. WHAT EXACTLY DO YOU DO FOR NEW ERA AND HOW WELL IN TUNE ARE YOU WITH THE COMPANY HISTORY?
( NEW ERA CAP ) Well, although my title is Corporate Communications Manager, I don’t think that really explains much… From the technical side, my job is to communicate the goings on of New Era to the outside world, as well as communicate it to those who work for the company….but what that means is I write the company’s manage what information people know about New Era by developing communications strategies, writing press releases, dealing with the press and making sure that all things said by the company are consistent. Some of the other things I do are: handle product placement with magazines, stylists and celebrities, develop relationships for the company with celebs and other companies…. On top of that, the 59FIFTYat50 Capture the Flag program last year was a project that I spearheaded for the company – which meant that I developed the relationships to bring in the majority of those who designed with us, worked with the Guest Designers and our in-house designers to create the caps that went on sale and then did my regular job to spread the word on them.

There are a couple big things happening at New Era this year that I am working on spreading the word on…the first is that New Era has a new Primary Logo:

So when you see this new imaging on the labeling on your caps, don’t get worried, they aren’t counterfeits!!! This imaging will be seen on all marketing materials, on product labeling and visor stickers and in advertisement…but the FLAG on the left wear-side of your caps, fitted and otherwise, will stay the same…

New Era has also rolled out a new tag line and positioning statement…“New Era Fits” and “Originators of the True Fitted,” respectfully. The “New Era Fits” tagline speaks to the company’s belief that for 85 years, whether wearing one of its adjustable, knit or fitted styles, its headwear has fit its consumer’s life through sport or fashion, licensed or branded styles, whether worn by a man, woman or child. The “Originators of the True Fitted” positioning statement speaks to New Era’s 50 year legacy in making its signature fitted cap the 59FIFTY; an icon that evolved from a functional cap worn as a piece of uniform for Major League Baseball into a fashion standard that sets the mark by which all others are measured.

And lastly and the piece that is my big project is the launch EK by New Era a new brand/line of headwear inspired by New Era’s founder Ehrhardt Koch (pronounced Airhart Cook) – this line of headwear will focus on fashion silhouettes, Gatsby’s and the like using high end fabrics like cashmeres and silks. We will show it at this February’s Magic and it will hit retail in August ’05.

Sure – I am well versed in the company’s history! What do you want to know?

( URB1 ) INTERESTING ENOUGH, MOST PEOPLE DON'T HAVE A CLUE WHO FOUNDED THESE MAJOR CLOTHING NAMES THEY ARE WEARING, SO LETS BREAK THIS MYSTERIOUS QUESTION; WHO FOUNDED NEW ERA CAP AND HOW DID IT HAPPEN?
( NEW ERA CAP ) As I mentioned above, New Era was founded by a gentleman named Ehrhardt Koch (pronounced Airhart Cook) in 1920 in Buffalo, New York. Ehrhardt was a German immigrant who was brought to the US by his parents when he was a baby. Ehrhardt began his career in manufacturing working for a headwear manufacturer that made fashion caps for men. After working there and mastering the craft he realized that he wouldn’t be able to move up I the ranks anymore and so decided to start his own headwear company. With a $5,000 loan from his aunt and a promise to her that her children would never be with out a job, he began the New Era Cap Company, making Gatsby’s. It wasn’t until making headwear that coordinated with men’s tailored suits went out of style in the early 1930s that New Era began making baseball caps, but the thinking behind it came from believing that seeing how baseball was the country’s favorite pastime, then wearing baseball caps would never go out of style. And here we are 85 years after the company was founded still making baseball caps and now going back into making fashion headwear!

( URB1 ) FROM WHAT I UNDERSTAND, SINCE THE CREATION OF NEW ERA AND THE FITTED CAP, SPIKE LEE IS CONSIDERED THE FATHER OF FITTED CAPS DUE TO HIS WANTING TO HAVE SOME FITTED NEW YORK HATS IN COLORS NOBODY HAD SEEN BEFORE. WHAT'S THE TRUTH BEHIND THIS?
( NEW ERA CAP ) There is truth in Spike Lee being an integral player in what we know the fitted game to be today, but the history of the New Era’s 59FIFTY fitted cap is a little more involved. As some might know, last year New Era celebrated the 50th Anniversary of the 59FIFTY with its 59FIFTYat50 campaign – from which was born our celebrity fitted cap series Capture the Flag. See New Era began making its fitted back in 1954. The reasoning behind the development of the cap was that a lot of baseball club owners didn’t like their teams’ lack of uniform look when they took team pictures. So Harold Koch, the founder’s son (mind you New Era is now run by the fourth generation Koch and has always been a family company), developed the high crown fitted baseball cap we all know and love called the 59FIFTY – this way baseball players, regardless of the shape and size of their head would have a nice clean look when representing their teams… prior players were allowed to wear any ol’ type of cap baseball cap they wanted, most were very ill-fitting and slouchy.

So to the Spike story…Spike Lee, as everyone knows is a HUGE New York sports fan…and we know he loves his Yankees!!! Back in the mid-90s New Era received a call from Spike, who was looking to get a Yankees cap made in red instead of the traditional Yankee blue. New Era had never thought of doing such a thing, but this was Spike Lee so why not. After receiving permission from MLB and the Yankees, New Era proceeded to make Spike his red Yankee, in addition to making it in other colors as well…and its history from there. In fact the impact that Spike had on New Era is the reason he was the first celebrity to design a Capture the Flag 59FIFTY with us last year – the navy blue cashmere fitted Yankee with 26 embroidered baseballs representing the 26 World Series championships won by the team. Spike Lee is an important part of New Era’s history.

( URB1 ) SPIKE LEE IS GREAT! I GUESS HE MADE THE WORLD WAKE UP WHEN HE PUT HIS EXCLUSIVE FITTED ON... BUT ANYHOW, HOW DID THINGS CHANGE AFTER SPIKE'S CREATING THE NON-AUTHENTIC COLORED FITTED? DID EVERYTHING BLAST OFF RIGHT AT THE JUMP?
( NEW ERA CAP ) Nothing takes off that quickly, but with time and testing and getting all the permissions New Era started a trend that continues to this day, not only in caps for baseball teams, but for basketball, football and just about any other sport you can come up with! Everyone wants to rock a fitted and even better if it’s a New Era 59FIFTY fitted! As our new sub-tag says, we are the Originators of the True Fitted! And not only is New Era the originator, but it continues to set trends in the market!