The Caps of a New Era by Christine Layug

When it comes to sports cap, the new era caps are the most popular choice of hip hop and sports fanatics. But what are the new era caps? The new era caps are the largest sports-licensed headwear company in the United States. The company is the premier cap provider for MLB, as well as a number of NBA and NHL franchises, plus a handful of major collegiate athletic programs. Among the collections of new era caps, the 59-Fifthy are the popular choice of all. The 59-Fifthy is a structured, fitted, 100% polyester cap which is worn by Major League Baseball players and umpires during competition. Along with the 59-Fifthys, the new era also produced other caps such as the 49Forty, 39Thirty, and 29Twenty. The 49Forty is a fitted, lower profile cousin to the 59Fifty, and has a more casual, collegiate look. The 39Thirty is a strength fit cap, and is used by MLB as the batting practice cap. It is 62% polyester and 38% wool, and has a soft mesh feeling. The 29Twenty is an adjustable, unstructured cap. Even though the new era caps offers a wide range of "59-Fifty" caps, new era company’s most prominent and recognizable cap is modeled with a flat cap bill. This is the style most popular with urban consumers, who have adopted the style from its prominence in rap & hip-hop culture. The brand recognition of New Era and the "59-Fifty" has resulted in the cap becoming a popular fashion element, particularly reflected in urban & hip-hop culture. Among all the 59-Fifthy’s that the new era produces, the most common and popular cap is the New York Yankees 59FIFTY Flat bill cap. Apart from success and popularity, the new era caps also faced some allegation and controversies. The new era company has had to defend its self against accusations of running sweatshops in both its Derby New York plant, as well as its plant in Alabama. This is due largely to a campaign by the United Students Against Sweatshops and Workers Rights Consortium held between 2001-2003, and a strike by the Communication Workers Of America. On August 24, 2007, the new era cap company announced that it was pulling three new era cap styles which were associated with gang colors. The hats, with the New York Yankees logo, were white and blue, the colors of the Crips, white and red, the color of the Bloods, and black and gold, the colors of the Latin Kings. Major League Baseball and the Yankees supported the move, claiming they were unaware of the color associations. A group called Peace on the Street picketed several stores selling New Era caps before the discontinuance was announced. If you want some information about the new era caps and its apparels, then visit www.streetzwear.com.