Issue link: https://viewer.e-digitaledition.com/i/1524423
APPAREL HEADWEAR Garrett: e trends continue to be perfor- mance products with lots of color options. In addition, I would say the old-school trends (rope caps, truckers and fashion caps) continue to be popular. Kennedy: Performance headwear is still king. One other area we are seeing is the creativity within uniforms spilling over to headwear in not just design, but color as well. Are you selling many caps through dealer team stores? Bradney: Yes, we are seeing more on- field and fan headwear sales driven through online store platforms. Fanwear continues to be a very important part of our dealers' businesses as it drives higher margins and provides greater connectiv- ity with the end users. Kennedy: Yes, and this has been a major focus. With every player there are a couple of parents and even more students and fans. at is an area where this is always so much room for growth. Garrett: We are selling caps through team stores. We are optimizing our capabilities and processes to deliver with ease and speed. Selling fan caps is an important part of our growth plans. Nixon: Yes, team stores have become a sig- nificant part of the sporting goods business and overall order process. We are seeing more fanwear specific styles sold via these platforms, but in some cases on-field head- wear is included. Where are there other headwear op- portunities for team dealers beyond the traditional sports teams? Kennedy: is really ties back into the team store question. You see a lot of deal- ers get that team order and walk by the fan gear. Booster clubs are a big growth opportunity. Klein: Fanwear is a strong focus. Parents and fans alike will support their teams with the team's gear in most situations. Providing access to the parents and fans is going to allow for continued growth. Currier: Our focus has been to supply headwear to all sports, but naturally base- ball and soball have been the sports that our headwear is most widely used for. More and more team dealers are using headwear for spiritwear, booster clubs and for the sidelines. Nixon: e opportunities are everywhere. Everyone wants to feel like a part of a team, whether it's a sports team, corporate gathering or family event. Restaurants, bars and breweries wear hats as staff or sell them in their retail stores or online. Businesses large or small can use headwear to promote themselves or help support their communities. Bradney: Fanwear is a major opportunity to sell on-field headwear to parents and fans. We are also seeing great success with our performance models sold as fanwear and into the corporate space. Garrett: Outside of the traditional team sports focus the biggest opportunities are in activities such as band and clubs, booster clubs and the corporate space. 24 • Team Insight ~ July/August 2024 teaminsightmag.com