The New Era Cap Company was founded in Buffalo, New York, in 1920 by Ehrhardt Koch, originally called E. Koch Cap Company. Although their business was predominantly Gatsby-style caps, they made the switch to producing baseball caps in the 30s due to the sport's rise in popularity.
In 1934 New Era began to produce the on-field caps for the Cleveland Indians, their first contract for an MLB team. This was a turning point for the company that would set the path for their future. By 1965 New Era was producing caps for close to half of the MLB teams but it wasn’t until 1993 that they were granted the exclusive license to produce all on-field caps for the entire MLB roster - a contract that remains today.
In 1934 New Era began to produce the on-field caps for the Cleveland Indians, their first contract for an MLB team. This was a turning point for the company that would set the path for their future. By 1965 New Era was producing caps for close to half of the MLB teams but it wasn’t until 1993 that they were granted the exclusive license to produce all on-field caps for the entire MLB roster - a contract that remains today.
On-field caps throughout the 80s had specific characteristics, they were made of wool, had a white sweatband, a green under visor and were made in the USA. The green under visor was originally thought to help with glare from the grass baseball field, although many have questioned the science behind this and suggest it was simply a marketing play by New Era. In 1990 however the Cincinnati Reds requested to change their under visors to grey, the same year they went on to win the World Series. The win prompted other teams to do the same, and by 1995 the grey under visor was the standard for all MLB teams.
Throughout the 80s and 90s New Era caps became a popular accessory among the Hip-Hop community, with the likes of Jay-Z, Ice Cube and Aaliyah frequently sporting the caps.
In 1996, film director Spike Lee ordered a custom made New York Yankees cap in red to wear to the World Series. At the time, New Era’s contract with the Yankees outlined that only blue caps were to be produced, however an exception was made for Spike and the popularity of New Era boomed.
Whilst New Era no longer produce their on-field caps with a white sweatband and grey under visor, the vintage caps of that golden era remain ever popular amongst collectors and fans alike.