New Era
To get to the beginning of New Era, we are going back to the late 19th century. Brothers Erhardt and Christopher Koch emigrate to America. There they end up in Buffalo. Construction is going on all around them and more and more people are moving into the city. At first, the brothers learn a lot from some misses. And after several years of building up experience in the hat-making industry, the real work begins. In 1920, they establish a new hat company. In this they receive financial support from the aunt. E. Koch Cap Company is a fact. The store is a hive of activity. The business is such a success that 60,000 caps are sold in the first year. In Buffalo, almost all the newsboys walk around with the well-known caps made of wool. Yet it is mainly the higher-ups who wear the caps from E. Koch Cap Company. Two years have passed and the moment has arrived: the company adopts the name New Era. Harold Koch, Erhardt's son, brought a new wind of change to the company in 1925. With enthusiasm, he applied the craftsmanship he had learned from his father to making unique quality hats that would make every customer happy. Harold soon took an important place in the business and became the inspirator and inventor of New Era. For example, he creates a new structure that allows the top of the cap to be built up from planes into a whole. Harold also introduces the strap on the inside which strengthens and provides more comfort. In the first years the straps were still made of leather. The next invention is the development of the flap, which can exist thanks to the strap and the further development of the strap into an anti-sweat system.
Times change and in the 30s the whole market collapses and the company gets into difficulties. It is also the time when the baseball cap becomes increasingly popular. Harold sees that many players wear a cap to protect themselves from the sun. The young entrepreneur responds by designing a cap for the Cleveland Indians. New Era caps grow to become the standard with all baseball teams large and small.
1954 is the year the iconic 59FIFTY is born. With this cap, the brand became world famous. The name 5950 stands for quality, identity and authenticity. The shape of the cap is immediately recognizable: a flat, straight cap finished with a top of six squares in a rounded shape. Caps are also increasingly worn off the field. Not only to protect against the sun, but also as part of outfits. Since then, the success of the cap is taking off.
Since 1994, it is the official cap of the US baseball leagues. From the origin of the New Era Cap Company in 1922, four successive generations have been active in forty countries and with licenses for 220 teams from different sports. Each year New Era makes approximately 30 million caps. New Era has become an icon of Amwrican lifestyle and remains a brand that stands out with creativity and quality, for more than 90 years!
New Era at Freshcotton