Releasing exclusively in-store and online this Friday, July 21 at 11am HST.
Aloha kākou!
This FITTED Friday we’re excited to relaunch our MLB customs program. To start it off again with our MLB customs, we go back to the very beginning and pay homage to New York native Alexander Cartwright.
Not many people know that baseball was introduced in Hawaiʻi before most of America. Alexander Cartwright, the “father of modern baseball,” laid the foundation of rules and gameplay in New York and migrated to the isles bypassing most of the country. While in Hawaiʻi he continued to plant and spread the seeds of the sport. Such stories were shared in our past (link). Not only for Hawaiʻi, but one could argue that baseball in Japan wouldn't be what it is today without Cartwright being in the islands. Alexander spent over 40 years in Hawaiʻi, never moving back to America and while doing so, placed tremendous impact both on and off the field. Cartwright's impressive influences included being a financial advisor to Queen Emma and King Kalākaua and played a pivotal role in establishing Hawaiʻi's library, Queen Medical Center, and Honolulu's Fire Department (being the first fire chief of Hawaiʻi). Although he is buried at Oʻahu Cemetery (where you'll see many baseballs set on his grave), his legacy is also landmarked on Hawaiʻi's first baseball field at Keʻeaumoku and Kinau Street. That park and field is named after him.
In parallels with how we start off new programs and logos, we made both New York caps black with hits radiating in metallic gold. Our side patch that we selected incorporates the 2000 Subway Series (Both New York Yankees and New York Mets World Series with also being the first year since 1977 reviving a visually separate and distinguished logo identity of the World Series). In addition to paying respect to Alexander Cartwright's birthplace, we of course can't forget about Hawaiʻi's very own Benny Agbayani who played in the series, performing at the highest level of the sport, and inspiring a new era of youth. It's an added layer of the growth of the sport, especially at such a fast pace, yet it's important to recognize our roots and continue to prosper for the future. Play ball.
