Author: Nate Ryan
Date: July 24, 2016
INDIANAPOLIS – Kevin Harvick was plowing through memorabilia in his management office for inspiration when he stumbled across an old logo that led to a new look.
“I was going boxes trying to come up with ideas with the design guys,” Harvick said. “We wanted to do something representative of myself, racing and things we’ve done in the past.”
The 2014 Sprint Cup champion has been a brand ambassador since last summer for New Era, and his first collection of caps with the headwear manufacturer was released this past week. Two of the hats feature the No. 8 go karts that Harvick drove in the mid-1980s while growing up in Bakersfield, California.
New Era designer Eric Matuszewski designed the hats with Harvick at his Charlotte home in December, using a 1985 logo that had been sitting in a box at Kevin Harvick Inc.
Harvick said the go-kart logo is an extension of a thrust with his wife, DeLana, to keep his merchandise as a reflection of his career and personality.
“We’re trying to do something representative of myself, racing and things what we’ve done in the past,” he said. “One of my favorite things about the collection is that it goes right back into the 1985 logo, and now it’s still relevant today.
“DeLana and I are more involved than most people because I’ve always felt the product is a direct representation of you. You want it to be right. I think there’s more of a personal relationship for fans. Anytime, you can put that personal touch on it, it definitely matters to fans.”
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