The international sports and lifestyle brand, New Era Cap, is once again stepping into the showroom floor spotlight as the Official Cap of ComplexCon 2025. The pioneering forum and essential trade show for streetwear culture makes its highly anticipated return to the Las Vegas Convention Center from October 25 to 26, transforming the massive 1 million-square-ft venue into the ultimate launchpad for the future of creativity.
Building on the success of its 2024 Las Vegas debut, ComplexCon 2025 and New Era are activating a major booth experience, the “Crownworks Studio,” featuring exclusive, limited-edition collaborations with a lineup of its collaborative foursome of creators; professional BMX icon Nigel Sylvester, multifaceted Mexican artist Rodrigo Roji, disruptive golf lifestyle brand Eastside Golf, and avant-garde streetwear designer Warren Lotas.
“We are the official cap of ComplexCon for the first time,” notes Mark Maidment, senior vice president of Marketing & Brand at New Era. “ComplexCon is the Super Bowl of culture, and we’re the official cap of almost everything, so we had to be the official cap here. We’ve got a great footprint. We love our official status and that New Era is seen as the gold standard authenticator.”
New Era hats have been synonymous with popular culture, spanning sports, all the way to sartorial presentation. It’s no secret how impactful the brand has been, and this grand opportunity for New Era caps the stale energy of past brand aesthetics. Maidment claims, “New Era is incredibly lucky to collaborate with so many designers and artists. Last year alone, we did 145 collaborations. For ComplexCon, we wanted to portray diversity in creativity.”
He describes the diverse collaboration further, “Coming from golf, one from BMX, one is an LA artist, and another is a fine artist. For us, it was about bringing together four interesting partners to show that diversity. Nigel Sylvester is a BMXer, and we bring together BMX culture and cap design. With Eastside Golf, we’re working with NBA logos, mixing the grind of basketball with the finesse of golf.”
“Warren Lotas brings an LA, rock-and-roll, punk background that’s incredibly different. And Rodrigo Reiji brings fine art with a beautiful five-petal flower that symbolizes survival,” Maidment implies. “It represents the New Era well because we are this gold-standard canvas, a stamp of authority. We’re fortunate that every brand says, ‘If we’re gonna do headwear, it’s got to be New Era.’ That was the thought process: how can we showcase four truly diverse collaborators?”
The New Era booth will be a destination for enthusiasts and fellow creatives, offering the “Crownworks Studio” customization station. Attendees can personalize any hat purchased on-site with unique pins, brooches, distressing, and other special embellishments, creating a one-of-a-kind souvenir. Additionally, the official New Era x ComplexCon 2025 cap will be available in two classic silhouettes, the 9TWENTY and 9FIFTY, and will be sold exclusively at the Complex Gift Shop during the streetwear-centric conference.
In a separate booth, New Era Korea will unveil its innovative FFALO character to a U.S. audience for the first time. The figurine is inspired by New Era’s hometown of Buffalo, New York, FFALO as a display of creative expression and cultural fusion.
Maidment has been inspired by what has evolved from a simple head covering into a global queue and the exclusivity associated with collaborations. “We’ve worked with these partners before on other products, but these specific projects are exclusive to ComplexCon,” the chief executive details. “Customization is really interesting. It started with pins about five years ago and has moved into incredible, full-on jeweling and gems, where the cap becomes a work of art. The people doing this online are very committed and creative.”
“I know the guy who is distressing [caps] – with the threads hanging. The end piece is beautiful, but the process is just as beautiful to watch. That’s why our “Crown Works” concept in the middle of our booth is giving people the ability to customize caps with pins, brooches, and badges. We provide a slightly more confined palette because otherwise, people often don’t know where to start.”
He further exemplifies how creativity is boundless, referring to a design partner, “Jon Stan is a wonderful human being. Jon was customizing caps with cubits and reselling them. You can’t customize an MLB cap and resell it, so MLB wanted to shut him down. I said, ‘Hang on. Rather than close him down, let’s contact him, give him official work, and let him do it legitimately.’ MLB agreed, and that’s how I got to know Jon. Rather than closing down creativity, New Era worked to enhance it and make it happen.”
“What’s also interesting is the simplicity in self-expression. We’ve been the crown of self-expression for decades. Someone might wear the sharpest, crispest LA Dodgers cap with a clean outfit, standing next to someone with embellished jeans and an embellished cap. We’re a staple for both looks.”
NEW ERA is furthering its reach at this year’s ComplexCon. “It’s about having people meet in person with a purpose. Nigel’s fans are our fans,” Maidment affirms. “It’s not just about the cap; it’s about what it means. You might walk away with the Nigel collaboration cap, but in your head, you remember the whole experience. People can see the bikes being built, chat with Nigel and his team, and a lucky winner each day gets a bike. I’m interested in following the winners to see what they do with it. It’s going to be a lot of fun, and with Eastside Golf’s putting green and basketball hoop, it’s about coming to hang out, enjoy the creativity and the personalities.”
“We see the cap as a blank canvas. Rodrigo Reiji brought this beautiful flower with a deep meaning connected to his artwork. It’s all built around this iconic canvas. We love working with fine artists because it brings another level of creativity that isn’t always just about embroidery.”
As the official hat of ComplexCon 2025, NEW ERA is the new guard of streetwear and creative culture, providing opportunities that go beyond a seal of approval for fans. They are architects of the broader ideas of culture. Maidment sums it up, “Sometimes, even taking off the logo creates a pure canvas. Putting a sports mark on it gives it its first layer of richness.” This is the ethos behind NEW ERA as a brand and as a fashion statement.