Field Notes

Imperial and its parent company Paramount Apparel International, is proud to announce it has been acquired by CPC LLC, a Kansas City-based family office investment firm. CPC, whose mantra is “Buy, Build, Hold,” was formed by the partners of Curran Companies and C3 Capital with the shared vision of becoming world class partners for great companies. CPC is a company, not a traditional private equity fund, that seeks to make long-term investments and grow businesses over decades, not years. “Imperial is exactly the type of business with which CPC is looking to partner,” said Wiley Curran, Principal at CPC LLC. “It is well-managed, a brand leader in its category, has high standards for conducting business and strongly positioned for expansion. We are looking forward to a bright future and longstanding partnership with Imperial.” There will be no changes to the operations of Imperial or its parent company, Paramount Apparel International. All manufacturing and distribution facilities in the state of Missouri will continue to operate as usual. Also, management for Imperial will remain fully intact, focusing on the continued growth and success of the 105-year old brand. “We are extremely excited about CPC’s acquisition of Paramount, including the Imperial brand,” said Todd Johnson, President & Chief Operating Officer of Paramount Apparel International. “CPC has made it very clear how committed they are to the future of Imperial, as well as the long-term success of our Company. Their strategy to buy, build and hold businesses is aligned with the current ownership’s vision for the future of Imperial and Paramount.”

The American Junior Golf Association is a 501(c)(3) nonprofit organization dedicated to the overall growth and development of young men and women who aspire to earn college golf scholarships through competitive junior golf. "Imperial is extremely proud to extend our partnership with the AJGA and remain the 'Official Headwear of the AJGA' through 2026," said David Shaffer, Vice President of Sales & Marketing at Imperial. "Growing the game and supporting junior golf are commitments that our Company takes very seriously. As an AJGA alum myself, I have the utmost respect for the AJGA as an organization, the individuals who run it, and the role they play in this important process to maintain the game we all love." As the ‘Official Headwear of the AJGA’ Imperial will continue to distribute hats to all players across our 120 plus events and their qualifiers annually. AJGA staff and interns will also continue to exclusively wear Imperial headwear at all AJGA events. Members of future Wyndham Cup, and PING Junior Solheim Cup teams will also sport Imperial hats as part of their team uniform. AJGA membership will receive a 20% discount, accessed through the Player Center, to purchase products from the expansive Imperial line. Imperial also offers an exclusive AJGA collection of hats, visors, and bucket hats. “We are thrilled to re-sign Imperial as an Official Partner of the AJGA and continue having them as the ‘Official Headwear of the AJGA’ through 2026”, AJGA Chief Business Officer Jason Etzen said. “We look forward to continuing to be amongst the long list of golf industry affiliations of Imperial for years to come.” Members can also expect to see a rebrand of the membership ‘Weekly Preview’ newsletter with Imperial taking over presenting sponsorship of the email platform. The weekly serves to inform the membership of application deadlines amongst other topics to develop the next generation of golf. The AJGA will continue to share unique throwbacks of alumni and noteworthy moments via the ‘Imperial Throwbacks’ platform on @AJGAGolf Instagram and Twitter. Additionally, Imperial will be a major partner of a future invitational in 2022 and 2024.

Temperatures are dropping, which means it’s time for golf beanies, corduroy rope hats and new fall-themed logos. Whether you love our Keep Warm Collection or want to design your own fall or winter golf hat, Imperial has the most stylish logos and styles to keep you ahead of the trends. Below, you’ll find our favorite fall and winter activities along with which hat and icons pair perfectly with them. There are so many moments to celebrate as the year comes to a close, so why not commemorate them with the Keep Warm Collection?Of course, if you’d rather design your own hat, you can choose from several of our newest fall logos, including a jack o’lantern, a golf ball skeleton, a maple leaf or double axes. Heading into the winter, you can also find a snowmobile, skiers, hockey, our favorite flamingo and, of course, Santa! Simply drop your favorite logo onto any hat style with our online hat designer tool. Funny Holidays Hats to End the Year Strong Holidays are always fun to celebrate with a golf hat. Whether you’re still able to play golf this time of year, are obsessed with the game no matter the season or are missing your daily dose of birdies and bogeys, Imperial golf hats have golf-related holiday logos you can’t miss. For Halloween, avoid dressing up for your friend’s party by sporting our jack o’lantern or golf ball skeleton hat. These golf hats are also the perfect accessory to accompany your kids, nieces, nephews, etc. on their trick-or-treating run. When the snow starts falling and the elves are putting the finishing touches on their gifts, it’s time to change gears to our Santa hat. Whether you’re just a huge fan of Santa Claus or you’re the St. Nick of the family, this Santa golf hat is sure to bring you joy this holiday season. Beanies & Bonfires There’s no way you’ve made it through fall without having a bonfire - hopefully your golf beanie was in attendance as well. Cozy sweaters, flannel jackets, warm boots - all you need is a cute fall hat to top off your look. Add any of our new fall logos, like the double axe icons, to your favorite golf beanie or go for the already-designed axe logo on our soft, corduroy rope cap. Next step: make s’mores. Make Your Own Hat for Your Holiday Parties It’s also the time of year to make your own hat to wear while sampling all the finest beverages at the holiday parties filling up your calendars. Take one of our warmer styles, like the wool knit hats or even a bucket hat, and add one of our awesome refreshment icons to it. Nothing says party like sporting your drink of choice on a hat; from beer and old fashioned's to tequila sunrises and screwdrivers, Imperial has your favorite cocktails as patches for your golf cap designs. Custom Hat Designs for Football Games Football season is in the air, which means you need to rep your team now more than ever. With our Tailgate Collection, you can either choose an already-designed state hat or personalize your own hat. Choose a rope hat or mesh back hat to represent your favorite NFL or college team this season. (Hint: if you really want to make your rivals sweat, put in a custom order for our wholesale golf caps - you can even upload your own design!). Winter Golf Hats for Winter Sports Winter sports are always fun to play and support, especially with the Winter Olympics on the horizon. Check out our new hockey and skier logos, as well as our ski patrol and snowmobile hats. No matter if you’re on the ice, in the stands or still on a golf course because you live in a nice climate, wearing one of our winter golf hats will get you in the competitive spirit. Remember, you can also use our personalized hat tool to add whichever logos to any of our awesome hat styles (like our cool trucker hats). Designing personalized golf caps is the best way to memorialize the activities that bring us closer together at the end of the year. Whether you’re celebrating the holidays with family or rooting on your favorite teams with your friends, there’s an Imperial hat for every occasion. Design your own hat or choose one of our trending hats today.

The 2020 Ryder Cup is finally here and Imperial hat & apparel collection will be on the scene at Whistling Straights. Imperial has been been a licensee of the PGA of America and Ryder Cup for 5 years. We can't wait to showcase our collection in the Ryder Cup Shops on-site this year. Before the Ryder Cup kicks off, we’ve asked two of our esteemed colleagues, David Schaffer and Dan Parenti, to provide some insight into the new Ryder Cup collection. David Schaffer, Vice President of Sales, started in Imperial’s marketing department 8 years ago. He loves creating great products with his team for golf courses to feature in their pro shops and creating consumer demand for Imperial. David shares, “I’m proud to be a part of the 2020 Ryder Cup and supporting the game of golf.” Dan Parenti, Vice President of Design and Brand Development, has been with Imperial for over 6 years and has been in apparel and headwear product development for over 20 years. Dan adds, “It's still a rush to work with some of the best golf courses in the world, and I'm proud of our work with the 2020 Ryder Cup.” Describe your 2020 Ryder Cup collection. What particular items are you excited about? David: Our collection at the Ryder Cup this year is a combination of the best-selling styles and T-shirts, ranging from solid tech hats to retro rope hats. As always, we’ve added awesome styles, colors and logos. I'm most excited about some of the vintage caps as well as the T-shirts that feature Official Ryder Cup art painted by Lee Wybranski. Dan: Our 2020 Ryder Cup collection pays homage to both Whistling Straits' location in Wisconsin and Imperial's midwestern roots. I'm particularly excited about our special edition Alter Ego cap, which bears a pattern including the Wisconsin state silhouette, wedges of cheese and sheep. We've also partnered with Lee Wybranski again on a T-shirt design with his beautiful Ryder Cup poster painting on the back. What was the inspiration behind the Ryder Cup hat and T-shirt designs? David: We tried to spotlight the Ryder Cup logo in a variety of formats, including several different kinds of patches in addition to embroidery. Vintage styling and modern fits were the themes of our headwear, and our T-shirts are buttery soft with tastefully washed prints. Dan: The Ryder Cup logo is immensely iconic. While we incorporated the logo into some unique patches and labels featuring call-outs to Wisconsin, it didn't need much help standing out on golf hats and apparel. If you were playing at Whistling Straits this September, which hat style would you wear? David: Imperial style 5054 "The Wrightson" for sure! The best cap from the hottest headwear brand in golf! Dan: I'd wear our Hammond six panel rope cap in all navy. I love this understated cap, especially with our Ryder Cup patch featuring the trophy. If you’re attending the Ryder Cup this year, be on the lookout for David and Dan’s recommendations while browsing the merchandising tents. Nowhere else will you find our fun Wisconsin- and Ryder Cup-themed patches on our best-selling golf hats.