Comic book heroes are a new feather in New Era’s cap
Warner Bros. deal covers headgear for DC Comics heroes, including Batman
New Era’s evolution as a fashion business with a penchant for pop culture is taking the company deeper into the realm of comic book heroes and, eventually, fashion runways.
Already teamed with Marvel Comics, the Buffalo-based hatmaker announced an agreement Tuesday with Warner Bros. to produce a line of caps with DC Comics heroes, including Superman, The Flash, and Batman.
The release of the themed Batman caps coincides with the opening of “The Dark Knight” movie later this week.
The new comic-themed caps are just the latest moves that New Era has made in recent years to stay current, building on its strength as the cap-maker for Major League Baseball. Under the leadership of CEO Christopher Koch, the company has grown dramatically, reaching $340 million in revenue for 2007, double what it made just five years earlier, New Era spokeswoman Dana Marciniak said.
The company’s ranks also are growing worldwide, from about 1,600 to 2,200, and it will launch an apparel line in March 2009.
Sabai Burnett, director of New Era’s urban business unit, said New Era has reached new heights by playing off pop culture.
“[The Dark Knight] has become iconic and has a cult following for a movie that hasn’t even hit,” he said, adding that the company expects big returns on the DC Comics line long after the movie’s release.
The company stays on top of fashion by tapping the advice and expertise of 60 designers around the world who try to determine the colors, fabrics and designs that will be popular about two years in the future, Marciniak said. The target consumer for the company is a male between 18 and 34 years old.
“We’ve really started to focus on how someone can recognize our brand as they would recognize Nike,” Marciniak said. “They used to connect New Era with sports and baseball, and now they are connecting it with fashion as well . . . We can play in two arenas.”
Kevin Smith, 16, of Buffalo admitted that he comes to the downtown flagship store on Delaware Avenue almost every day. Smith said he still remembers saving up for his first $35 cap, a Yankees hat with a map where the stadium is located.
“They make the best hats,” he said. “If I come here, I can always find a hat to match a certain outfit.”
Joey Todaro of Buffalo scanned the wall that was lined with New Era caps on Tuesday, from lime green to comic-themed, searching for the right one to pick for his 14th birthday.
“I just like how they look and how they fit,” said Todaro, who was shopping with his aunt and brother.
New Era’s role as a fashion purveyor has humble roots. It began as a small, family-owned business in 1920. Koch became the fourth generation to run the company as president in 1992, and was named CEO in 2002.
New Era caps have been sported by celebrities including rappers Jay-Z and 50 Cent. Linkin Park drummer Travis Parker, music artist Ludacris and film director Spike Lee are all collaborating with New Era to create their own line of fashion- forward caps.
“When you look at branding, you look at consistency,” said Robert Carr, president of Carr Marketing Communications in Amherst. “And I think that’s what New Era has done. There has been a consistency of the type of product they provide, but also their presence.”
Carr praised the company as a model of controlled growth and integrated marketing. “You’re tying in events, you’re tying in advertising, you’re tying in public relations to promote your brand to your customer targeted audiences,” he said. Carr pointed to the partnership between New Era and Red Bull, a beverage with the same target demographic, for the upcoming DC Comics’ launch parties in Toronto and New York City.
With the apparel line, New Era will have a chance to make a statement on the runway. The headgear already was displayed in 2002 and 2006 in Paris fashion shows. It will be the company’s third attempt at launching apparel, but this time they think they’ve got it right, Burnett said.
