If you take a look at the hats in your collection, there’s a pretty good chance there’s one consistency throughout most of them. They are New Era caps, in some form or fashion. The 59Fifty, 39Fifty and 9Fifty family of fitteds, snapbacks, stretch caps and even knits for the cold weather fulfills just about everyone’s headwear needs.
With the city of Los Angeles bringing two NFL teams to town in the last two years brings more opportunity for people to rock some new team gear. Repping the colors of the Los Angeles Lakers, Clippers, Dodgers and the Angels is always a good look for LA sports fans. A classic Dodgers blue fitted hat never fails.
Unless you’re Mr. Peanut and strictly wear top hats, a New Era store opening up might intrigue you. Especially if it’s opening up on the L.A. Live campus inside Staples Center.
On Thursday, January 19th, New Era, the official cap of the MLB, NFL, and NBA, opened the doors to its permanent retail space – The New Era D-Lab – inside of STAPLES Center.
At the 3,160 square-foot, custom-designed store fans will be able to shop the latest in New Era headwear collections including exclusive designs, event-specific product, player/artist collaborations, local LA teams and product from New Era’s international stores as well as sneaker hook-ups, accessories and 5th & Ocean apparel.
“AEG was the perfect partner to work with on this project. Our brands span the worlds of sport, entertainment and music, and that’s reflected not only in the products people will see at The New Era D-Lab, but also in the look and feel of the space,” said Josh Feine, VP Sports Marketing & Corporate Sponsorships, New Era.
“We’re bringing in exclusive product collections on a regular basis and giving visitors the opportunity to create custom pieces using their favorite logos across New Era’s vast portfolio with our New Era by You program.”
In addition to the retail experience, The New Era D-Lab will host private tastemaker, celebrity and athlete endorsement events throughout the year. Athletes will also be able to use the VIP area to work with a New Era designer on special collaborations.
The New Era D-Lab is part of a multi-year agreement, brokered by AEG Global Partnerships in 2016, which named New Era as a Founding Partner and the exclusive headwear supplier of L.A. LIVE, the LA Kings, Microsoft Theater and The Novo by Microsoft. The store is located in the front of STAPLES Center on the corner of Chick Hearn Court and Figueroa, looking onto Microsoft Square.
The store will also feature two significant additions to make it even easier for everyone to get the exact hat that they want.
Enhancing the customer experience is the ‘New Era by You’ customization area. Customers can design their very own New Era cap by choosing from the hundreds of team logos, colors and fabrics in the brand’s portfolio. This single-level store also features unique elements to New Era including:
· The Blocking Machine: Used to stretch a cap to fit a person’s head more comfortably, to reshape a cap to its original form and to clean a cap.
· The Heat Seal Machine: Used to adhere a patch to the side of a cap. New Era has designed a collection of special patches for The New Era D-Lab and will continue to release new patches for special events, sporting achievements, etc.
Check out some pictures of the new store below, courtesy of New Era. Be sure to swing by Staples Center to see the new shop.
