RACONTEURPH

New Era, Gloc-9 launch first locally collaborated caps

New Era teams up with Gloc-9 in unveiling the leading street fashion brand’s first Filipino-collaborated cap collection, just in time for the celebration of the 120th Philippine Independence Day. The launch was held during Gloc-9's concert at the Trinoma Activity Center in Quezon City.

"We are very proud to work with a great Filipino talent like Gloc-9 for this special collection. We believe that he is the best to represent our brand, knowing that he's making a name for himself, not just here but also internationally. He embodies everything that is great with Filipino artistry and we know that New Era fans are excited about this partnership and would love the collection," Maritess See-Lazaro, COO of New Era Cap Philippines, said.

In this new Filipino-themed cap collection, New Era and Gloc-9 worked together and took inspiration from the artist's simplicity and style. The collection also celebrates the iconic rapper's career and his contributions to OPM.

"We released this collection in time for our 120th Independence Day because these designs celebrate the undeniable creative talent of Filipinos. This is just the beginning of interesting partnerships with local artists in the Philippines, and we're excited for more,” she added.

Popular for his powerful and influential music, Gloc-9's reputation as a lyricist is highlighted in the collection. The Gloc-9 Limited Edition Collectible caps include a snapback 9FIFTY silhouette cap embroidered with the Makata sa Pinas gold text on the front of the crown. The design also includes the following stanza stitched on the right side: Kaya sa gabi ako'y palaging nakatingala, kasi pwede palang maging sigurado ang baka. The lyrics came from his song Alalay ng Hari (from his album MKNM: Mga Kwento ng Makata) which recounts his experiences as a budding artist under his mentor, the late Francis Magalona.

Marking his 21st year in the industry, Gloc-9 personally witnessed the transformation of the local hip-hop scene and the emergence of new rappers. In spite of these many changes, the award-winning artist remains relevant with his songs, many of which tackling social issues. Nevertheless, he noted that being socially relevant is not the prime goal of an artist to stay relevant.

“Puwede kang mag-release ng mga kanta na hindi naman kailangang socially relevant, pero marami pa rin ang makaka-relate. Ang pinaka-importante ay makatawid ka sa iyong listener. Kung ano ang pinapatawid mong mensahe, regardless kung ano ang kanta mo. Kung ikaw ay makakatawid ng maayos at malinaw, yun ang pinaka-okay na goal para sa isang artist,” Gloc-9 explained.

Another model in the collection is the fitted 59FIFTY silhouette cap in black polyester carrying Gloc-9's colored logo on the front of the crown. The upper visor has Gloc-9's signature, whereas the lower visor carries a multitude of logos. Inside, the crown comes with a camouflage pattern in black and grey.

The third model in the collection is the snapback 59FIFTY silhouette cap. Made of black polyester material, it carries Gloc-9's 2003 hit song which skyrocketed his career, Simpleng Tao, embroidered on the front of the crown, whereas the under visor features the song lyrics in red, grey, and white text.

All Gloc-9 Limited Edition Collectible caps are embroidered with G9 logo on the back of their crowns and are packaged in a special New Era x Gloc-9 box.

Apart from the Gloc-9 collection, New Era is also promoting the Independence Day collection which is already available in the market. The caps in the series feature black and gold detailing with patriotic words and symbols such as Pilipinas, 1898, Alab ng Puso, and Perlas ng Silangan on the front and back of the crown of the black twill caps.

New Era's Gloc-9 Limited Edition Collectible and Independence Day caps are exclusively available in all New Era Philippines physical and online stores.