New Era MLB Player Designed Collection allows players to show off their style

New Era has released a new line of headwear designed by nine MLB players, and the results not only offer fans some sweet hats to represent their fan-hood with, but also gives a glimpse into their favorite players’ personal style.

Fans who might have wondered what players like Bryce Harper and Buster Posey would wear if they could design their own clothes don’t have to question that anymore. The New Era MLB Player Designed Collection answers those quandaries.

Collaborating with José Altuve, Dellin Betances, Mookie Betts, Harper, Posey, Kyle Schwarber, Kyle Seager and Dansby Swanson, New Era has produced 22 new headwear styles that represent a wide variety of style preferences as individual as the players themselves.

“Our MLB player ambassadors are some of the best stars in baseball today, so we know there is demand from fans to purchase caps personally designed by the players,” said Tony DeSimone, Baseball Category Director at New Era Cap. “Each of the players are excited to sit down with our designers and let their creativity flow in designing the caps. Whether it’s Bryce Harper, Mookie Betts, José Altuve, Dellin Betances or Corey Seager, they are all telling their individual stories when designing these caps.”

“It’s a very diverse line,” said Eric Matuszewski, Design Manager for New Era who worked with each player on the project. “In the design sessions, I tried to get a feel for what each player was into. We wanted them to produce something that not only represented themselves, but that they would wear themselves. Otherwise, there was no point in having them design it.”

Matuszewski said that the players were given free reign to engage in the design process.

“It’s a very hands-on process,” Matuszewski commented. “They were given creative liberty to do what they wanted. The options with the different types of fabrics, colors, the sky was the limit with every part of the design.”

Matuszewski said that the design sessions were held in conjunction with photo shoots done with the players, who all have contracts with New Era to be brand ambassadors, last December. After a couple of design sessions, which lasted from one to two hours, the designs were complete and processed by New Era’s MLB category team. The final designs were then returned to the players for their approval, and after acquiring such sent to vendors to produce samples. Those samples were then sent to the players for a final green lighting before production and release to the public.

“Our ambassadors are always blown away when they get the actual product in their hands,” Matuszewski elaborated. “It’s a process that they invested in, and seeing the finished product is great.”

The personal style of each of the ambassadors is represented in the styles now available to fans everywhere.

“Mookie Betts, for instance, he’s big into bowling for his charity,” Matuszewski explained. “He wanted to do something that tied into that. He’s also a ‘sneakerhead,’ so he wanted to have something that he could pair with his shoes. The veteran players tend to be more reserved, while the less-seasoned players feel free to be more flashy. Dansby Swanson is a great example of that with the gold elements.”

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For fans who like these products, New Era plans to produce many more like it with not only their MLB but NBA and NFL ambassadors as well for years to come. With the player designed line consistently producing new pieces, fans will be able to represent their favorite players in unique ways on a perpetual basis.