What is one accessory that has been around for thousands of years? The hat. New Era Cap Company only came on the scene in 1920, but by today’s standards, 100 years is a pretty good run.
Ehrhardt Koch founded the brand in Buffalo, New York. They hit the ground running, and what started as a 14-employee business quickly grew. By 1934, New Era began producing hats for Major League Baseball teams. Today, they rake in around $1 billion annually.
New Era is still based out of Buffalo, New York today. They now employ over 300 people at this location and another 1,000+ worldwide.
In the bustling business that is hats, New Era is now partnered with the Canadian Football League, Rugby League, National Basketball Association, National Football League, and the National Hockey League. That’s a lot of hats on a lot of heads.
Speaking of noggins, we’ve got a ponderance in mind. Where are these masses of New Era hats being manufactured? Let’s jump head-first into the fray to find out.
Verdict: Are New Era Hats Made in the USA?
No, New Era hats are not made in the USA. New Era hats are manufactured in Southeast Asia, mainly in China.
Although the brand began its manufacturing journey in the USA, that was a long 100 years ago. As often happens, when companies expand exponentially, they tend to outsource their labor overseas.
However, it wasn’t all that long ago that New Era caps were made here in the US. The below tag is from a 1993 cap:
Hats labeled “Made in USA” can be found dating up to the early 2000s, when New Era began making the move to overseas manufacturing. These days, the tags look more like this:
Here is a New Era hat made in Bangladesh:
And another hat made in Vietnam:
And yet another New Era product made in Laos:
There’s quite a variety, and all of these locations are in Southeast Asia. China is another common country of origin for New Era hats.
New Era used to own manufacturing plants here on American soil. The last one closed in 2019. It was located in Derby, New York. There was a bit of drama when New Era announced they would be shutting down this plant, reason being that it was the location that produced the official on-field hats for the Major League Baseball.
Despite the efforts of the unionized garment workers trying to keep their jobs, New Era proceeded with the closing and thus laid off over 200 employees.
According to an article published about the Derby plant’s closing, New Era planned to move away from owning manufacturing plants. That means no more American factories.
To sum it all up, no, New Era hats are not made in the USA. However, you could probably find some not-so-old American made options through second hand retailers.
Popular American Made New Era Hats
- Vintage hats no longer being manufactured
Popular New Era Hats Not Made in the USA
- Authentic Collection 59FIFTY Fitted
- Olive 59FIFTY Fitted
- Blue 9FIFTY Snapback
