Field Notes

After 94 years of unparalleled success, Paramount Apparel International has made the significant decision to rebrand itself and proudly introduce Imperial as its new corporate name. This symbolic change comes as part of our commitment to our flagship brand “Imperial” and an effort to continuously evolve, adapt, and meet the demands of an ever-changing market landscape. As we embark on this exciting new chapter of our organization, it is essential to acknowledge and honor the foundation upon which our Company was built. Paramount, a name that has become synonymous with quality and trust, will forever be ingrained in our history. Our success story began with Paramount, and it has shaped our values, expertise, and legacy. Imperial represents a natural progression for our Company, allowing us to celebrate our heritage while embracing our vision for the future. This rebranding signifies our evolution from being solely a manufacturer to becoming a significant consumer and trade brand known for our exquisite product, innovative solutions, exceptional customer service, and unwavering commitment to excellence. Todd Johnson, CEO of Imperial The decision to transition from Paramount to Imperial was taken with careful consideration. We believe that as Imperial, we are better positioned to solidify our brand identity, operate as a team of one, expand our reach to new markets, and forge new connections in an ever-evolving marketplace. Behind the rebranding initiative lies our firm belief that our success has foundations not just in what we produce, but in the trust, loyalty, and satisfaction we cultivate amongst our customers. With the rebranding, we reaffirm our commitment to transparency, reliability, and integrity,” continued Johnson. “As we transition to Imperial, our customers can rest assured that we will maintain the same unwavering focus on their needs, ensuring the highest level of satisfaction, and exceeding expectations at every turn.” Paramount acquired the Imperial brand in late 2012, which had been based in the greater Denver, Colorado-area since 1916 and previously had several owners over the course of its almost 100-year existence. In 2013, Paramount closed its Denver office and moved all Imperial operations to Missouri. Over the past 10 years, the Imperial brand has experienced explosive growth in several channels, including the green grass golf market. Golf partnerships and affiliations also include the PGA of America, PGA Tour, LPGA Tour, United States Golf Association, and American Junior Golf Association. While our name may change, our core values, vision, and dedication will remain deeply rooted in the company culture. Imperial will be a symbol of our unwavering allegiance to the generations of customers who have entrusted us with their business. As we embark on this transformative journey, we thank all our loyal customers, team members, and stakeholders who have played an invaluable part in making Paramount what it is today. Together, we look forward to an exciting future as Imperial—a brand that not only represents our success but also defines our commitment to excellence—for the next 100 years and beyond. For more information, please visit our new website at imperial1916.com.

Click here to view a digital catalog of Imperial’s 2024 new arrivals. Imperial debuted the 2024 collection of new headwear, apparel and accessories to sales representatives earlier this month. The collection features bold new directions in product development for the brand, including the Lab Series Collection, innovative new headwear styles and a new line of premium tees, sweatshirts and belts. The Imperial Lab Series is an experimental new collection that boasts elevated performance fabrics, unique trims and advanced details that seamlessly merge style, comfort and functionality. In partnership with NuYarn® fabrics, this lineup of caps features the first performance merino wool sweatband. It’s naturally anti-microbial, moisture-wicking and thermoregulating. The crown of each style in the Lab Series, The Alpha, The Capstone and The Dyno, has a memory structure that will bounce back to its original shape to prevent crushing, and moisture wicking fabrics throughout keep the wearer cool and dry. Reflective accents, buoyant visor boards and stylized, breathable perforation make the new Lab Series ideal for the beach, the mountains, the golf course and everywhere in between. “Everything we design is intentionally built upon the foundation of being a high quality, sustainable and purpose driven brand. Customers are demanding more out of their headwear than ever before. The Lab Series is just the latest in our continuous efforts to deliver products that can appeal to a wide audience that values quality craftsmanship and unwavering attention to detail.” Dan Parenti, SVP of marketing and product development Imperial’s emergence into the world apparel and accessories is fortified this season by the release of several new styles of premium tees, sweatshirts and belts. The Aprés collection of tees are designed to complement the high quality and impeccable design of all Imperial headwear. Four new silhouettes are now available (a men’s short sleeve, long sleeve, hooded tee and a ladies tee) featuring long staple USA cotton fabric and fine double needlework with high stitch counts and clean finishing throughout. These premium tees follow the release of Imperial’s new line of super-soft, midweight fleece sweatshirts, The Alpine and The Bonfire which are able to be customized with traditional embroidery, screen printing or Imperial’s new heat applied felt appliqué letters. Our focus this season was to not only lead the golf industry with innovative headwear but also expand our casual apparel offering. Imperial customers demand high quality, custom logo, quick turn products. We are expanding our options for what they need and what their customers are looking for in a pro shop right now. David Shaffer, SVP of Sales Other notable highlights from Imperial’s 2024 collection include:• Colorful Organic Prints Freshwater and saltwater themes can be found throughout the 2024 line by Imperial, along with tropical floral patterns like those found on new style The Outtasite. Creative micro prints comprised of fly fishing lures, colorful trout patterns and sublimated swordfish are featured on The Easy Read unstructured 5-panel, The Passenger Side mesh back style and The Golden Hour rope cap, all made from OekoTex® certified recycled poly fabric. • Innovative New Fabrics Imperial has an extraordinary selection of headwear options designed to keep you comfortable in the great outdoors. The Live Wire, is a colorful new 5-panel rope cap style crafted from a durable, poly ripstop mono mesh fabric, available in eight sublimated prints. Also new for this year is The Aperture, a 6-panel style also available in a Meshback version, is constructed from a unique, grid pattern performance fabric with a micro perforation which is both breathable and moisture wicking. • Exciting Variations Variety is the spice of life and Imperial accomplishes that in strides with new additions like The Independent, a rope-less version of best-selling style The Wingman. Ladies now have The Corral, a highly anticipated small fit rope cap style offered in eight pastel color options. Last but not least is the athletic new silhouette of The Imperial 7, a 100% recycled performance fabric 5-panel rope cap designed with the pickleball enthusiast in mind. • More Color Options for Best Sellers The Original Performance and The Wrightson are the two best-selling headwear styles in golf, hands down. Imperial has injected new life into these styles, along with several other best sellers, by adding an earth tone color pallet of Buckthorn Brown, a rich, warm, orange-brown color and Olive. Both of these new colors are being folded into several cotton and performance fabric styles with OekoTex® sustainability certification.

Imperial has announced a new partnership with the National Links trust organization as well as the release of a limited edition e-commerce collection here on Imperial's website. Featured products include an Imperial Tour Visor®, rope caps, performance styles, mesh back caps and more. A portion of the proceeds from the collection will benefit Nationals links Trust.“Imperial has a long tradition of partnering with incredible individuals and organizations helping to preserve the integrity of the game of golf” said David Shaffer, SVP, Imperial. “National Links Trust’s commitment brings the game to all audiences, cultures and communities so that everyone has access to the sport. Imperial is very excited to support that mission.” National Links Trust impacts local communities across the United States through protecting and promoting accessible, affordable and architecturally-engaging municipal golf courses. A portion of all proceeds from the Imperial ecommerce products, are being donated back to NLT in support of their mission. About National Links Trust The National Links Trust (NLT) is a non-profit organization committed to positively impacting local communities across the US through protecting and promoting accessible, affordable and engaging municipal golf courses. This mission starts in Washington, DC, but stretches across the country. In our nation’s capital, their recent projects involve working with the National Park Service to rehabilitate three historic, municipal golf courses – Rock Creek Park Golf, Langston Golf Course, and East Potomac Golf Links – alongside three of golf’s most prominent architects – Gil Hanse, Beau Welling, and Tom Doak. This transformative project will revitalize golf in the city, providing upgraded facilities at an affordable cost to both residents and tourists. While fundraising for and development of these projects moves along, NLT is actively working to create programs that positively impact the local communities of these courses with their existing facilities. The Jack Vardaman Workforce Development Program is one of these initiatives. This program provides local youth and adolescents with internships at the courses that teach valuable job and life skills while providing an entry-point to the golf industry. In the future, NLT hopes to partner with Howard University to provide their golf teams with practice facilities at Langston Golf Course. NLT is also heavily invested in driving sustainable practices in the municipal golf industry, analyzing their own operational impact to ensure they’re aligned with meeting their sustainability goals. Nationally, NLT works to amplify success stories and connect municipal golf stakeholders across the country through a free webinar series and their annual Symposium on Municipal Golf.

Today Imperial, the #1 headwear brand in golf, becomes #1 in pickleball headwear as well. It was announced that MLP, the highest-tier competitive league in professional pickleball, named Imperial “The Official Licensed Headwear of Major League Pickleball.” MLP x Imperial is the first-ever official licensed headwear for the league. As a trusted partner of MLP, we’re honored to be named their ‘Official Licensed Headwear’ and create this innovative, first-of-its kind product offering for fans of pickleball everywhere. We’re in total support of the huge growth this sport has seen in recent years. The Imperial brand is for everybody, and we look forward to integrating the Imperial brand into the fabric of pickleball. Todd Johnson, CEO of Imperial Fans can now find officially licensed MLP products online in the new Major League Pickleball Collection offered on Imperialsports.com. This online collection features MLP logoed products, as well as smaller capsule collections for all 24 teams in the league. Imperial products will also be made available to fans on site at select MLP events like the upcoming MLP San Clemente, June 15th – 19th in partnership with Fromuth, and through select retailers. About Imperial Founded in 1916, Imperial Headwear is the leading manufacturer of premium quality headwear, apparel, and accessories for the golf market. Imperial’s products can be found at 99 of the Top 100 and over 75% of the Top 400 golf courses in the United States, and they have been voted the #1 headwear brand for private and resort golf facilities for six consecutive years by the Association of Golf Merchandisers (AGM) and reported as the “#1 headwear brand in the combined on and off course retail golf channels” by Golf Datatech. Imperial is committed to style, functionality, and perfection in fit and comfort. It is this commitment that has allowed the creation of a wide variety of headwear and apparel with quality that is second to none. Renowned for its superior customer service and art customization capabilities, Imperial offers its products using the most innovative fabrics and designs, as well as logo decoration and embellishment technologies. For further information please visit Imperialsports.com. Follow Imperial on Instagram at @ImperialHats About Major League Pickleball (MLP by Margaritaville) Major League Pickleball (MLP by Margaritaville) is the premier team-based professional pickleball league and the standard-bearer for the fastest-growing sport in the United States. Founded by Steve Kuhn in 2021, MLP has since expanded from eight to 24 teams and is committed to growing the sport's role in society and impacting every facet of pickleball’s business. MLP features nearly 100 of the best athletes in the sport spread across 24 teams - 12 in the Premier Level, home to the top 48 players drafted and 12 in the Challenger Level, featuring 48 draftees looking to make their ascension to the top of the league - a unique coed format, iconic team owners, the introduction of promotion and relegation to American pro sports, an innovative draft format, easy to understand scoring, and the largest payouts in prize money across all of pro pickleball. In December 2022, MLP named its first-ever title sponsor, Margaritaville, branding the league MLP by Margaritaville. A global lifestyle brand inspired by Jimmy Buffett, Margaritaville, has served more than 20 million travelers and consumers every year to change their latitude and attitude with Margaritaville. For more information, visit www.margaritaville.com. For more information on Major League Pickleball, visit the official website and follow MLP on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, TikTok and YouTube.