Baseball cap model by New Era Cap Company

59Fifty

A Los Angeles Dodgers 59Fifty cap

Type| Baseball cap
Inventor| Harold Koch
Inception| 1954
Manufacturer| New Era Cap Company
Website| Official New Era website

The 59FIFTY is a model of baseball cap made by the New Era Cap Company, a headwear company based in Buffalo, New York.[1] The 59Fifty is the official on-field cap of Major League Baseball (MLB)[2] and Minor League Baseball, and the official sideline cap of the National Football League and the National Basketball Association.[citation needed] It is also a fashion symbol, with the hip-hop community the first to adopt it in the 1980s and 1990s.[3]

## History[edit]

The 59FIFTY's wool predecessor debuted in 1934 at a Cleveland Indians game and the 59FIFTY itself came out in 1954.[3][2] Harold Koch, son of New Era founder Ehrhardt Koch, created the 59FIFTY to make hats more uniform within the MLB.[4] Sources vary on the meaning of its name: it might be the cap's original catalogue number, 5950;[5] its model number;[4] or the roll of fabric Koch used while producing the original design.[6][7] By the 1970s, the 59FIFTY was being worn by 20 of the 24 MLB teams and became available to the public in the mid-1980s.[3][2][5] The Cincinnati Reds became the first team to receive memorial caps following their 1990 World Series win.[4] Hats from the losing team are taken apart and recycled following the game.[4] The 59FIFTY became the official on-field cap in 1993.[2][5]

### Early popularity[edit]

During the 1980s, Tom Selleck popularized the 59FIFTY when he wore a Detroit Tigers cap in Magnum P.I..[8] Its first major craze came in 1996, when film director Spike Lee requested a custom red New York Yankees cap to wear to the third game of the World Series.[3][4][9] New Era's contract with the team stipulated that only blue caps could be produced, but the owner worked with the MLB to make an exception.[4] Lee was photographed at the game and requests for custom orders increased substantially.[3][4] Several years later, Fred Durst repopularized the red Yankees hat.[4]

## Design[edit]

The first 59FIFTY design had a flat visor, with eight rows of stitching, ventilating eyelet holes, and a high rise crown.[2][8] Koch added a buckram on the inside of the cap to keep the logo centered and pointed forward.[4] This design only underwent minor tweaks until the 1980s, when lighter wool, sweats, and beading were used to make the logos look cleaner, and the stitching was raised.[4] Teams could also choose different colored fabrics for the under-visor rather than the traditional green, which was used "because it was believed the color helped the reflection of the sun off the turf, meaning there was less stress on a player’s eyes."[4] It wasn't until 1990 that a team made this change, with the Cincinnati Reds changing their under-visor color to gray. The team wound up popularizing the gray under-visor because they won the World Series the same season they made the change.[4] By 1995, all MLB teams were using gray fabric on their under-visors.[citation needed] Beginning in the late 1990s, teams began to experiment with black fabric under the visors to help with the sun's glare, and black sweatbands to make them appear less sweat-stained[citation needed] and by 2007, black under-visor fabric became the norm along with black sweatbands.[10] In 2016, the New Era flag logo was added to the bottom left side of the cap.[11]

There are two styles of the 59FIFTY: the original, which has a flat visor and a tall profile, and the low-profile, which has a pre-curved visor and a rounded profile.[12][2] Earlier versions of the 59FIFTY were made with 100% wool but eventually switched to polyester, which includes sweat-wicking fabric and sun protection.[2][4] 59FIFTYs are fitted and do not have an adjustment strap like many other designs, such as the snapback.[4][13] In 1992, the MLB logo was added to the back of every cap and in 1996, the World Series logo was added to the right side of the hat.[citation needed] Commemorative and special edition side patches appear on some caps and are also sold separately[2] As of 2017, the caps were still being made partially by hand.[2][4]

## Cultural impact[edit]

Collaborators include BTS, Fear of God, Takashi Murakami, Marc Jacobs, MTV, and Chance the Rapper.[14][15][16][17][18][19] New Era recognizes May 9 as 59FIFTY day.[13][20]

### Fashion[edit]

In the 1980s and 1990s, the hip-hop community began wearing the 59FIFTY as a fashion statement.[3] Jay-Z, Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Beastie Boys, and Aaliyah were among those who popularized it.[3][8] New Era's CEO credits Spike Lee with bringing the 59FIFTY into the fashion world, which later fed into streetwear.[7][21] Part of why the cap became a fashion icon is because it represented pride in one's city.[3] The cap is also called Brooklyn style due to New Era's connection to New York and the borough's hip-hop scene.[5] Leaving the gold size sticker on the visor became a fashion trend, enough that New Era added that they do not offer replacement stickers to the FAQ on their website.[16][13] In 2017, Paola Antonelli included a replica of Spike Lee's red Yankees cap in her "Items: Is Fashion Modern?" exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.[22] The exhibit featured 111 cultural icons that majorly impacted the world of fashion.[3][22][9][21]

## References[edit]

1. ^ "NEW ERA CAP LAUNCHES SUPER BOWL LVI COLLECTION". MR Magazine. 2022-02-15. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
2. ^ a b c d e f g h i Newcomb, Tim (2017-09-27). "The Historic Reach of New Era's Authentic Collection Cap". Baseball America. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
3. ^ a b c d e f g h i Nickerson, Parker (n.d.). "The Cultural Significance of the 59FIFTY". Original Shift. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
4. ^ a b c d e f g h i j k l m n o Bleier, Evan (2020-01-16). "New Era's Brand Historian Walks Us Through the 100-Year Evolution of the Baseball Cap". Inside Hook. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
5. ^ a b c d Lilliefors, Jim. Ball Cap Nation: A Journey Through the World of America's National Hat. p. 68.
6. ^ "What's the Difference? New Era 59Fifty vs 9Fifty caps". Da'Cave Store. 2020-04-03. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
7. ^ a b "What You Need to Know about the 59FIFTY Silhouette". Hat Heaven. 2019-06-05. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
8. ^ a b c Smith, James (2018-05-03). "A Brief History of the Ballcap". Heddles. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
9. ^ a b "Is Fashion Modern?". Daniella on Design. 2017-09-24. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
10. ^ Newman, Mark (2007-03-14). "MLB celebrates new official cap". MLB.com. Archived from the original on 2013-10-29. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
11. ^ Brady, Erik (2016-10-04). "New Era keeps players' heads, company's hearts in game". USA Today. Retrieved 2020-03-27.
12. ^ Tetzlaff, Trent (2016-10-29). "Extraordinary Lids: A breakdown of the six different New Era caps". EastBay. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
13. ^ a b c Yuan, Geng (2022). "New Era无帽不型，诠释CapHead帽子文化——59FIFTY DAY「帽」险时代，延续经典热爱" (in Chinese). Elle China. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
14. ^ Neely, Jaime (2011-05-26). "Marc Jacobs and New Era Team Up to Create the N59FIFTY Fitted". TrendHunter. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
15. ^ Alexis, Nadeska (2012-12-22). "NEW ERA ROLLS OUT 'YO! MTV RAPS' SNAPBACKS AND FITTED CAPS". MTV. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
16. ^ a b Rivera, Dane (2020-03-04). "Streetwear 2020: Is Leaving The Sticker On Your Hat Still Cool? What About Bending The Bill?". UpRoxx. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
17. ^ Silbert, Jake (2021). "MORE THAN MERE CAPS, FEAR OF GOD X NEW ERA IS MLB HERITAGE". HighSnobiety. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
18. ^ Samaha, Barry (2022-02-25). "Clarks Reps for Jamaica, and More of This Week's Best Menswear Releases". Esquire. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
19. ^ Ong, Jasmine (2020-07-22). "The BTS x New Era Collection Features An Exclusively Designed 59FIFTY Cap". Nylon Singapore. Retrieved 2022-05-13.
20. ^ Davenport, Laura (2022-05-05). "CELEBRATE 59FIFTY DAY WITH NEW ERA'S MLB LOGO HISTORY SERIES". YCMC. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
21. ^ a b Flammia, Christine (2017-12-11). "How the Yankees Cap Became a Cultural Icon". Esquire. Retrieved 2022-05-12.
22. ^ a b "THE NEW MOMA FASHION EXHIBIT ISN'T AFRAID TO GET POLITICAL". Nylon. n.d. Retrieved 2022-05-12.