In 1920, a family in Buffalo, New York, took a risk to bring innovation and craftsmanship to headwear. It was a gamble on an idea that led them to create the New Era Cap Company. They made history by turning a home-grown cap into baseball’s cap. In the 1950s, their pioneering spirit helped them create the legendary 5950 fitted cap and a revolution in style and color followed. What began as a sports uniforming piece, became a symbol of self-expression – as iconic off the field as it is on the field. New Era’s relentless focus on design, quality and innovation has created a global phenomenon out of the baseball cap.

Today, New Era, a fourth-generation-owned company, is expanding into apparel. They have partnered with SanMar to design and manufacture styles that showcase their iconic New Era Brand.

“We combed through their archives and their story and decided to use their mission statement for our apparel lines,” said Shelley Renning, Vice President of Merchandise and General Merchandising. “We have been aligned from the very beginning of the creation process. It’s about making apparel that makes a statement.”

To create these new styles, merchandisers used specific inspirations from those who wear New Era caps. Three distinct yet complementary categories of apparel rose to the top: on-field, in the stands and on the street.

The apparel sports comfortable, soft fabrics (think sueded cotton, tri-blends and brushed fleece), innovative colors and details like black nickel hardware, cotton-feel flat drawcords and woven labels. Hybrid performance pieces have an urban look and feel for the modern sports fan, and on-field styles are designed to work as hard as the athlete.

For a closer look at these 40 new styles, join this Friday’s SanMar U webcast at 8:00 am (PT). Register at SanMar U.