Massachusetts company transformed the baseball cap business

SO. TWO LITTLE NUMBERS AND AN APOSTROPHE STITCHED ON THE LEFT TEMPLE OF A CAP ARE THE SYMBOL OF DECADES OF INNOVATION AND DEDICATION. ANYWHERE YOU GO IN THE WORLD RIGHT NOW, YOU SEE THAT. 47 LOGO BEHIND THAT LOGO IS A FAMILY RUN COMPANY WITH DEEP TIES TO MASSACHUSETTS BROTHERS HENRY AND ARTHUR D’ANGELO CAME TO THE U.S. FROM FROM ITALY AT AGE 12, IN 1938, AS ARTHUR EXPLAINED IN AN ANIMATED HISTORY OF THE COMPANY, THE TWINS GOT RIGHT TO WORK. SO WE STARTED SELLING NEWSPAPERS IN FRONT OF FENWAY PARK. WE DIDN’T KNOW BASEBALL WAS ALL ABOUT, AND WE SNUCK IN AND WE JUST STARTED HUSTLING, SELLING PENNANTS AND OTHER THINGS, AND THAT’S REALLY HOW WE STARTED OUR BUSINESS OF SOUVENIRS IN FENWAY PARK. OVER THE DECADES, MORE TEAMS STARTED TO SEE WHAT WAS HAPPENING AROUND FENWAY PARK AND SAID, HEY, COULD YOU MAKE THAT PRODUCT FOR US? AND ULTIMATELY, THAT WAS THE FOUNDING OF SPORTS LICENSING AS A WHOLE IN AMERICA. AND 47 JUST KEPT GROWING, SAYS COMPANY PRESIDENT DOMINIC FARRELL. WE’RE DOING THE FOUR MAJOR SPORTS LEAGUES THE MAJOR LEAGUE BASEBALL, THE NATIONAL FOOTBALL LEAGUE, NATIONAL BASKETBALL ASSOCIATION, THE NHL. WE HAVE 900 COLLEGES. WE HAVE NASCAR. ALL THOSE DIFFERENT TEAMS GIVE VICE PRESIDENT OF DESIGN AND DEVELOPMENT STEVE MONTI AND HIS TEAM A LOT OF ROOM TO PLAY. THEY’LL VOTE WITH THEIR DOLLARS AND THEY’LL BE LIKE, THAT’S GOOD. I WANT IT RIGHT? BECAUSE IT’S ON YOUR HEAD. EVERYBODY SEES IT RIGHT WHEN WE VISITED 47 WESTWOOD HEADQUARTERS, WE NOTICED SOMETHING A LITTLE UNUSUAL. A LOT OF SAINT LOUIS CARDINALS GEAR BY THE CARDINALS HAT ON DISPLAY IN THE ROOM HERE. WHAT? WE’LL DO IS WE’LL SELECT A CERTAIN TEAM TO THEN BLOW OUT ACROSS ALL OF OUR PRODUCT LINE. IF WE DID IT THROUGH MULTIPLE TEAMS WITH CLOUD YOUR JUDGMENT. RIGHT. BECAUSE IT WOULD BE DIFFERENT COLOR PALETTES DIFFERENT LOGOS, BOTH MONTI AND FARRELL SAY THEY WANT 47 HATS TO BE MORE THAN AN ACCESSORY FOR THEIR CUSTOMERS. WEAR THE HAT YOU HOLD ON UNTIL YOU CAN’T WEAR IT ANYMORE. WHEN SOMEBODY PUTS THAT ON, WE WANT THEM TO FEEL LIKE THEY’RE A PART OF OUR STORY. THEY’RE A PART OF THE D’ANGELO STORY. THE AMERICAN DREAM STORY THAT HAS COME FROM SOMETHING THAT’