Spike Lee's Limited Edition Red NY Yankees New Era Fitted Returns

Spike Lee’s New York sports fandom knows no bounds, and now he’s getting a chance to design one of his most important accessories.

No, it’s not the abundance of New York Knicks jerseys that sit in his closet or the stacks of colorful glasses he owns, but the fitted cap that’s always planted firmly on his head.

In honor of its annual 59FIFTY Day on May 9, New Era partnered with the legendary filmmaker to create a limited-edition collection of seven caps.

The release is tied to another anniversary: 30 years ago, Lee headed to Atlanta to watch the flailing Yankees against the Braves in the World Series. He commissioned New Era CEO Chris Koch to complement his ‘fit with a red cap at the approval of George Steinbrenner.

“We’re down 0-2; [if] we lose Game 3 it’s curtains,” Lee remembers. “So I got on a plane; I wanted to be in Atlanta. Yankee fans are well known in all sports, so I got this fly jacket. A puff jacket. It was black, and ‘Yankees’ was in red script. I said, ‘I gotta get a red Yankee hat to go with this jacket.’ That led to the call.”

(The Yankees did come back and win the 1996 World Series, by the way.) 

So, the bold red cap is back with its white interlocking NY logo front and center, a custom 30th-anniversary side patch, and Spike Lee’s signature placed on the under-brim.

Lee flexes his creativity in six other fitteds in the iconic Yankee navy blue, paying homage to the team’s 27 World Series wins.

One hat a day is being dropped leading up to the red cap drop, and it began on May 3 with the “2007” release, which featured pennant flags on the side of the logo, one with the year 2009 and the other 1923. Other baseball-designed pennants are spread out across the back panels.

Next was the “2009” edition, which has that year on the front and 27th on the other in recognition of the team’s most recent win.

The hat representing “2004” features miniature baseballs stitched all over the top, with “1923” and “2000” on the front.

What follows is the “2016” version with crossed bats and red stitching for the winning years. Caps yet to be released: one with the years etched onto the bats, and another with them placed inside mitts.

All the hats have the words “A Spike Lee Joint designed for New Era” stitched into the sweatband.

Since the caps are limited, they’re selling out pretty quickly, and New Era says they won’t be restocked. And then, come May 9, the coveted red fitted will release.

Get a better look at the offering below.