When it comes to caps beloved by streetwear fans worldwide, no one can overlook the legendary brand over a century old, "New Era" a brand that shaped dressing culture with its distinctive flag logo on every cap. New Era was founded by German-born Ehrhardt Koch in Buffalo, New York, in 1920 with the intent to produce fashionable headwear.
A major turning point came in 1954 when the brand launched its first model, the 59FIFTY, a fitted cap designed to fit the head snugly without size adjustments. Each cap underwent a meticulous 22-step manufacturing process.
Thanks to its outstanding quality, this cap was officially adopted as the on-field cap for Major League Baseball (MLB) in 1993, making it globally recognized as the iconic baseball cap ever since.
The numbers "59" and "50" are not random but derive from the wool fabric roll code (#5950) ordered by Harold Koch, the founder's son, who was impressed by its quality. He named the first cap model 59FIFTY, which became the world’s standard cap style beloved across generations.
As a pioneer and leader in street fashion, New Era is not just a maker of street and sports caps but is widely known as MLB’s official cap manufacturer. This led to the creation of iconic caps bearing logos like NY for the New York Yankees and LA for the Los Angeles Dodgers, which remain international fashion staples today.
In Thailand, New Era's journey officially began 10 years ago in 2016 at Siam Center, marking its first store in the country, led by Wichak Sirisingh, CEO of Bangkok Sportswear Company Limited, the authorized distributor of New Era in Thailand.
Wichak said that over the past decade, New Era Thailand has maintained steady growth with double-digit sales increases and continued to grow in the most recent year compared to previous years. It expanded from the first New Era Store at Siam Center to 30 branches nationwide today.
This made New Era the flagship brand generating about 90% of the company’s total revenue, reflecting both the brand’s strength and the growth potential of the headwear and sports lifestyle market in Thailand. This growth coincided with a shift in consumer base from primarily hat lovers and sports fans to include streetwear, fashion, music, art, and lifestyle segments.
Looking ahead, the company aims to grow New Era Thailand by 30% by 2032, evolving from a global headwear brand into a Sports Lifestyle Brand reaching broader and more diverse consumers through three key strategies: diversifying products and collaborations linking sports, fashion, and culture; upgrading retail channels into Concept Stores offering personalized experiences and community engagement; and integrating physical and online channels to adapt to changing purchasing behaviors.
For network expansion, the company plans to open 30 additional New Era Stores by 2034, focusing on prime locations in Bangkok, tourist cities, and economic hubs. It will also build on the Concept Store model after launching its largest Southeast Asian branch at One Bangkok, the only store in Thailand offering customization services.
A key strategy driving New Era Thailand toward becoming a Sports Lifestyle Brand is using collaboration as a growth engine. This goes beyond launching new collections to connecting globally licensed sports IPs with fashion, culture, and community to reach new consumer groups.
"What makes New Era Thailand stand out as a key market in the Asia-Pacific region is its role as a main driver of global New Era growth. Asia is full of youthful energy, pop culture, and hip-hop music. Although Thailand may not be the largest market by population compared to Indonesia, nor have deeply rooted baseball culture like Japan, Taiwan, or the Philippines, it is special for its pop culture, idols, and strong acceptance of authentic products. This has made Thailand a strategic partner highly valued by global management," emphasized Wichak.
To mark its 10th anniversary, New Era Thailand made a landmark move by partnering with the global Williams F1 Team, a high-potential sports IP with a rapidly growing worldwide fan base, especially among young people who see F1 not just as a sport but linked to technology, speed, fashion, and contemporary culture.
The New Era × Atlassian Williams F1 Team collaboration is a significant step allowing New Era to leverage motorsports strength into Sports Lifestyle. It transforms teamwear designed for racers and athletes into everyday wear that sports fans and general consumers can wear to express themselves daily. This event also made history by bringing a real Formula 1 race car weighing over 450 kilograms for Thai fans to see up close—the first time in Southeast Asia.
Additionally, New Era Thailand’s growth strategy includes over 10 collaborations with diverse partners, ranging from global artist Takashi Murakami, renowned Thai street artist Alex Face, and popular band Cocktail—which once commissioned 4,000 special caps sold out at a major concert—
to collaborations with cool apparel brands like Carnival, J7, Night Dance Kid, and even cross-industry ventures like teaming up with ice cream brand Guss Damn Good for a special flavor. They also worked with global anime One Piece and launched the Thailand Series featuring Thai elephant motifs on caps, which became bestsellers among tourists as souvenirs. These strategies have helped New Era transcend sports into entertainment, food, and art seamlessly.
At a pivotal turning point, New Era focuses on adapting to new consumers, shifting from Gen X and Gen Y toward capturing Gen Z and Gen Alpha, who are fast-moving and trend-sensitive.
Regarding business direction and strategies for handling the economic outlook over the next 3–5 years, despite volatility in fashion market purchasing power, New Era remains strong as the true market leader (The King of Caps) with no direct competitors in this category. Every product stands out for authenticity, genuine licensing, and high quality.
This aligns with current younger consumers who reject counterfeits and are willing to pay for authentic products to support brands and teams they love. New Era plans to open 1–3 new stores annually while continuously renovating existing stores, such as those at Central World, Pattaya, Phuket, and Siam Center. Renovating stores into Experiential Stores has boosted sales growth by 30–70% immediately.
Daniel Broderick, Managing Director APAC, New Era, revealed that Euromonitor International reports over one-fifth of global apparel and footwear sales in 2025 will be sportswear. The global sportswear market is expected to grow nearly 5% annually from 2025 to 2030, reaching over 500 billion USD by 2030. The Asia-Pacific region is projected to be among the fastest-growing markets due to rising purchasing power and a rapidly expanding consumer base interested in sports, health, and active lifestyles.
Currently, New Era maintains strong global growth momentum with revenues exceeding 2 billion USD in 2024, operating in over 80 countries worldwide, and running more than 1,000 New Era stores.
ReferencesNew Era
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