The 59FIFTY's wool predecessor debuted in 1934 at a Cleveland Indians game and the 59FIFTY itself came out in 1954.[1][2][3] Harold Koch, son of New Era founder Ehrhardt Koch, created the 59FIFTY to make hats more uniform within MLB.[4] Sources vary on the meaning of its name: it might be the cap's original catalogue number, 5950;[5] its model number;[4] or the roll of fabric Koch used while producing the original design.[6][7] By the 1970s, the 59FIFTY was being worn by 20 of the 24 MLB teams and became available to the public in the mid-1980s.[1][2][5] The Cincinnati Reds became the first team to receive memorial caps following their 1990 World Series win.[4] Hats from the losing team are taken apart and recycled following the game.[4] The 59FIFTY became the official on-field cap in 1993.[2][5]
Early popularity
During the 1980s, Tom Selleck popularized the 59FIFTY when he wore a Detroit Tigers cap in Magnum P.I..[3][8] Its first major craze came in 1996, when film director Spike Lee requested a custom red New York Yankees cap to wear to the third game of the World Series.[1][4][9] New Era's contract with the team stipulated that only blue caps could be produced, but the owner worked with MLB to make an exception.[4] Lee was photographed at the game and requests for custom orders increased substantially.[1][4][3] Several years later, Fred Durst repopularized the red Yankees hat.[4]
Design
The first 59FIFTY design had a flat visor, with eight rows of stitching, ventilating eyelet holes, and a high rise crown.[2][8] Koch added a buckram on the inside of the cap to keep the logo centered and pointed forward.[4] This design only underwent minor tweaks until the 1980s, when lighter wool, sweats, and beading were used to make the logos look cleaner, and the stitching was raised.[4] Teams could also choose different colored fabrics for the under-visor rather than the traditional green, which was used "because it was believed the color helped the reflection of the sun off the turf, meaning there was less stress on a player’s eyes."[4] It wasn't until 1990 that a team made this change, with the Cincinnati Reds changing their under-visor color to gray. The team wound up popularizing the gray under-visor because they won the World Series the same season they made the change.[4] By 1995, all MLB teams were using gray fabric on their under-visors.[citation needed] Beginning in the late 1990s, teams began to experiment with black fabric under the visors to help with the sun's glare,[3] and black sweatbands to make them appear less sweat-stained[citation needed] and by 2007, black under-visor fabric became the norm along with black sweatbands.[10] In 2016, the New Era flag logo was added to the bottom left side of the cap.[11]
There are two styles of the 59FIFTY: the original, which has a flat visor and a tall profile, and the low-profile, which has a pre-curved visor and a rounded profile.[12][2] Earlier versions of the 59FIFTY were made with 100% wool but eventually switched to polyester, which includes sweat-wicking fabric and sun protection.[2][4] 59FIFTYs are fitted and do not have an adjustment strap like many other designs, such as the snapback.[4][13] In 1992, the MLB logo was added to the back of every cap and in 1996, the World Series logo was added to the right side of the hat.[14][15] Commemorative and special edition side patches appear on some caps and are also sold separately.[2] As of 2017, the caps were still being made partially by hand.[2][4]
In the 1980s and 1990s, the hip-hop community began wearing the 59FIFTY as a fashion statement.[1][3]Jay-Z, Eazy-E, Dr. Dre, Beastie Boys, and Aaliyah were among those who popularized it.[1][8] New Era's CEO credits Spike Lee with bringing the 59FIFTY into the fashion world, which later fed into streetwear.[7][23] Part of why the cap became a fashion icon is because it represented pride in one's city.[1] The cap is also called Brooklyn style due to New Era's connection to New York and the borough's hip-hop scene.[5] Leaving the gold size sticker on the visor became a fashion trend, enough that New Era added that they do not offer replacement stickers to the FAQ on their website.[18][13] In 2017, Paola Antonelli included a replica of Spike Lee's red Yankees cap in her "Items: Is Fashion Modern?" exhibit at the Museum of Modern Art in New York.[24] The exhibit featured 111 cultural icons that majorly impacted the world of fashion.[1][24][9][23]
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