Major League Baseball & New Era unveil 2015 All-Star Game cap collection
Players to wear special cap for Midsummer Classic in ode to Cincinnati baseball
Major League Baseball and New Era, the official on-field cap of MLB, today revealed a unique cap collection for the 86th All-Star Game, which will be held on Tuesday, July 14th at Great American Ball Park, the home of the Cincinnati Reds. Inspired by the caps worn on the field by this year's host club in the 1880's and 1890's, MLB and New Era designed this standalone collection to be worn on-field during the Midsummer Classic. This will be the second time that players named to the American and National League All-Star teams will take the field in a team-designated cap specially made for the MLB All-Star Game. All-Stars last year wore caps inspired by the 1970s era batting helmet of the host Minnesota Twins.
Over a century ago, Cincinnati's Baseball Club, known as the Red Stockings, wore a cap which featured horizontal stripes, commonly known as pleats, around the circumference of the caps. This design concept, which became the basis for the cap that Cincinnati Reds mascot Mr. Redlegs has worn since his inception in 1956 and is featured prominently in the 2015 All-Star Game logo. Now, that 19th century design has been combined with a modern look and fabric to create the 2015 All-Star Game Cap.
This year's special edition cap is highlighted by two broad, horizontal stripes across the front panel, layered behind the team logo. The color of those stripes match the color of the cap's back four panels, brim and button, while the front panel is a contrasting color. The color schemes are based on each team's colorways. Since 1998, players have worn a special edition of their standard issue on-field cap, featuring a commemorative side patch of that year's All-Star Game logo. This year's caps for the first time will have a custom All-Star logo patch on the back of the cap.
"This summer, Major League Baseball will celebrate the Midsummer Classic with these unique All-Star caps that embody Cincinnati's longstanding baseball tradition," said Noah Garden, MLB Executive Vice President, Business. "We look forward to honoring the heritage of a Reds franchise that continues to vividly represent the Queen City and all of Major League Baseball."
"With last year's All-Star cap being extraordinarily well-received by fans, we are again looking to combine the inspiration of the host club's design history with New Era's modern performance fabrics," said Tony DeSimone, New Era's MLB Category Director. "We are excited to put the best baseball players in the world in these new All-Star caps."
While the new collection emulates a historic design, it is infused with modern technology built with performance in mind. The caps are constructed using Diamond Era®, New Era's ultra-lightweight performance fabric. The tech attributes include SOLARERA, 50+ UV protection that helps deflect the sun's rays and COOLERA technology that wicks away sweat to keep players comfortable and dry.
In addition to the All-Star Game, players will sport caps and jerseys specifically designed for this year's Gatorade All-Star Workout Day, including the Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders, and batting practice before the All-Star Game. This gear features a red and black color scheme based on the official colors of this year's host club, the Cincinnati Reds. Caps of the American League representatives will feature a black crown, red brim and team logo. Caps of the National League All-Stars will be reversed to feature a red crown, black brim and team logo. An alternate All-Star Game logo patch will adorn the left-hand side of all these Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders caps.
Beginning June 25, the complete All-Star cap collection will be available for fans exclusively at MLB.com/shop, LIDS, New Era retail locations and NewEraCap.com. From June 30, the caps will also be available at additional sporting goods stores and headwear retailers around the country. Additionally, the caps will be available in international markets including Aruba, Brazil, Canada, Curacao, Dominican Republic, Hong Kong, Japan, Mexico, Panama, Puerto Rico, and Taiwan.
MLB All-Star Week at Great American Ball Park includes the 86th MLB All-Star Game on FOX (July 14th), Gatorade All-Star Workout Day (July 13th) featuring the Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders on ESPN, All-Star Sunday (July 12th) including the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game on MLB Network and the All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game on ESPN, and T-Mobile All-Star FanFest at the Duke Energy Convention Center (July 10th-14th). For more MLB All-Star Week information, please visit AllStarGame.com, the MLB All-Star Game Twitter account (@AllStarGame) and MLB All-Star Game Facebook account (Facebook.com/MLBAllStarGame).
About the 2015 Major League Baseball All-Star Game
The 86th Major League Baseball All-Star Game will be played on Tuesday, July 14th at Great American Ball Park in Cincinnati and will feature the best of the American League taking on the top players of the National League. Building up to the excitement of the All-Star Game, Major League Baseball will conduct a wide variety of special events and charitable activities for fans both inside and outside of GABP. At the ballpark, the events will include All-Star Sunday on July 12th featuring the SiriusXM All-Star Futures Game and the All-Star Legends & Celebrity Softball Game, and Gatorade All-Star Workout Day on Monday, July 13th featuring the Gillette Home Run Derby presented by Head & Shoulders on ESPN, ESPN Deportes and ESPN Radio. Outside of the ballpark, fans will have an opportunity to experience All-Star Summer through a variety of special events including T-Mobile All-Star FanFest, the five-day interactive fan festival; and the MLB All-Star Red Carpet Show presented by Chevrolet, a free parade of All-Stars. The Midsummer Classic will be televised nationally on FOX, broadcast on ESPN Radio and will be shown around the world by Major League Baseball International. For more information about 2015 All-Star Summer, visit AllStarGame.com.
About New Era
New Era is an international lifestyle brand with an authentic sports heritage that dates back over 90 years. Best known for being the official on-field cap for Major League Baseball and the National Football League, New Era is the brand of choice not only for its headwear collection, but also for its accessories and apparel lines for men, women and youth. The brand is worn as a symbol of self-expression by athletes, artists and some of the most influential people around the globe. New Era encourages people to truly express their personal style and individuality through its products. The Company is headquartered in Buffalo, N.Y. and operates facilities in Canada, Europe, Brazil, Japan and Hong Kong. For more information, visit www.neweracap.com.