New Era 9FORTY A-FRAME Cap Piping Hot In Southeast Asia
New Era says its 9FORTY A-Frame, which is known for taller boxy streetwear-focused silhouettes, has surged in popularity in the past year in Southeast Asia alongside its classic time-tested fitted caps.
One the world's biggest headwear companies only naturally drives these style trends in the region as a lot of celebrities and sports stars wear these types of caps, even in collections tied to major sporting events, Daniel Broderick, New Era managing director for Southeast Asia, told Esquire Philippines in an interview.
“But the one cap that has really taken off very strongly in the last, let's say, 12 months or so is the 940A frame, right? If you're familiar with the 9FORTY frame, it gives you a very full crown, but the crown is pinched and it gives a little bit better height,” he said.
Broderick added that the flexibility of the 9FORTY A-Frame cap is very appealing to those looking for more options beyond the brand’s iconic 59FIFTY fitted cap, and has since been driving business from the region.
New Era is a pioneer in styling caps as German immigrant Ehrhardt Koch started the brand in 1920 with the goal to elevate the quality of fashionable headwear.
With baseball’s surge in popularity that year, Koch’s son Harold saw the demand for branded caps for Major League Baseball teams, which eventually became the brand’s staple product.
New Era 9FORTY A-Frame Cap
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“Yeah, sometimes I go back to the fitted cap, which is really what we're known for. In the US, generally larger people have larger heads and whatnot, that cap fits their head pretty well, right?,” the New Era managing director said.
The 59FIFTY fitted cap, which is the brand's iconic silhouette, was introduced in 1954 as a more contemporary look for baseball caps and has become a uniform for Major League Baseball (MLB) and an article of self-expression. “Our foundation and franchise product is always the 59FIFTY fitted cap, right? And you know, the popularity of the cap sort of goes up and down, but it's always a staple part of our collection.
“But that's the biggest thing: people in the States, let's say, they're automatically drawn to the 59FIFTY because they're used to it and it fits their head and it looks pretty normal. Here, it takes them getting used to it. Once people try it on, then I think the matching happens,” Broderick says.
In 1993, New Era became the exclusive supplier of on-field baseball caps for the MLB. The brand has since expanded to other sports and leagues such as the National Basketball Association and European Football.
New Era 59FIFTY Cap
Design Collaborations in Southeast Asia
Broderick noted that New Era’s regional headquarters in Hong Kong is constantly on the lookout for design inspiration from countries like Japan or maybe even South Korea, but also sees the need to serve the Southeast Asian market such as loyal customers in the Philippines.
He added that the company's regional leaders from all of the countries in Southeast Asia were set to tackle future business, designs and product categories.
New Era Philippines on July 12 celebrated its 10th anniversary of serving fashionable caps for the street culture in Manila, with a starstudded list of musical guests led by Ely Buendia, Al James, and Sandwich.
For the 10th anniversary, New Era released a limited edition and Philippine exclusive 9FORTY cap with a barcode silicone patch on the front panel and a black matching black mesh and orange undervisor design. The Philippine 10th Anniversary Barcode collection also includes hoodies and breathable black tees, and a Voltes V 9FIFTY cap tie-up.
In the Philippines, Broderick said he noticed a trend of streetwear enthusiasts making use of headscarves or bandanas underneath New Era caps.
“That's a pretty common trend that's going on in the marketplace,” he said.“So much so that New Era is selling those scarves to put on underneath the cap. So it's little things like that, that as long as we're on the leading edge of it, we will survive and do great, do good things.”
New Era x Philippines 10th Year Anniversary Barcode 9FORTY Cap
New Era x Philippines 10th Year Anniversary Tee
A Little More History on New Era And The Baseball Cap
Koch started the brand in Buffalo New York as a typical haberdashery, putting out caps of different styles that were popular at the time such as Gatsby and Paperboy caps.
The aforementioned shift to baseball caps came about after Harold Koch saw the need to diversify its revenue sources after New Era saw its sales drop in the 1930s. Harold landed a deal with the Cleveland Indians as New Era’s first Major League Baseball Cap sold with the iconic red and navy cap in 1934.
The first MLB cap was rather floppy compared to what you see players or people wear on the street as it does not hold as much structure as the full crowns found in the 59FIFTY and the soaring 9FORTY A-Frame caps.
Despite the 80 years since the 59FIFTY’s debut, the silhouette is still reminiscent of New Era’s genesis but with new models like the 9FORTY refreshing the collection with a more high-profile frame and pinched front panel.
An intriguing design departure in 2007 saw New Era favoring a polyester blend for its headwear, swapping out the time-tested wool blend as the brand sought to turn the cap into a more practical and breathable material for sports performance.
Ever since the brand’s take over and dominance over the headwear space, countless A-listers, musicians, and fashion icons have donned these lids.
Who can forget the times megastars like Leonardo Dicaprio and Timothée Chalamet seemingly superglue these low-profile baseball caps to their heads to evade the paparazzi in their pursuit to have normal days off.
Earlier this month, Dicaprio, 50, caught the public’s ire for wearing an all black Los Angeles Dodgers cap for three days straight during Jeff Bezos’ wedding in Italy to stay hidden from fans and the Hollywood press.
On the style side, actor Jeremy Allen White has also been seen showing his love for his New Era New York Mets 9FIFTY cap, while his contemporary, famously stylish Irishman Paul Mescal, is known for his love for baseball caps from New Era.
New Era 9FIFTY Cap
