Last year at the IRONMAN World Championships in Kona, Hawaii, BOCO Gear, a leading brand of performance headwear, turned heads and generated significant brand awareness and product demand with its Technical Trucker hat.
The hat was worn by several amateur and pro triathletes who were involved in the product development process before the big race.
Committed to supporting athletes and brands with stylish and functional headwear, BOCO Gear will once again aim to impress in Kona by debuting a new endurance hat category inspired by the “floppy hat” popularity amongst the ultra and trail running communities.
This new hat, among other BOCO hats, has been customized for some of the most prominent brands in triathlon – including IRONMAN Merchandise, the IRONMAN Foundation, IRONMAN XC, Cervélo, Timex, Newton, GU Energy, Hoka, NormaTec, Nuun, Clif Bar, Rudy Project, ROKA, Zoot, Specialized Zipp, Ventum, TriBike Transport, Ashworth Awards and Base Performance.
Kay Martin, Founder and President of BOCO Gear, launched BOCO to fulfil specific customer requests for merchandise and a desire to ‘offer better products than what the market offered at the time.’
With over 24 years’ experience in the sports apparel industry, including positions at Pearl Izumi and Moving Comfort, alongside having been President at Headsweats, Kay Martin is no stranger to high quality performance fabrics.
In 2013, BOCO, a new player in the endurance sports market, ‘changed the performance visor landscape overnight’. The company notes that it accomplished this by offering an updated visor and sublimated elastic back that could be customized, together with a progressive and trending line of performance hats, beanies and headbands.
Since then, Martin has established herself and her company through a commitment to delivering quality and performance, and meeting the timelines of her customers.
“We launched BOCO Gear because we saw an opportunity to update and upgrade the options available in custom performance headwear,” said Kay Martin. “We wanted to build a brand that was more updated, and take advantage of emerging trends. The ultra and trail scene has been a recent source of inspiration for us and we are excited to infuse this into the world of triathlon. We are eager to continue working with the world’s top athletes and teams with our new hat initiative.”
BOCO’s new endurance hats are billed as being ultra-lightweight and flexible, and simple to stuff into a pocket or fold for quick stowing. They are also thin enough to fit under a helmet, allowing them to be worn across multiple endurance sports.
Limited Edition versions of these hats will be available for purchase at the IRONMAN Merchandise tent, and the Newton, GU, Timex, Nuun and HOKA booths throughout the IRONMAN World Championships expo, taking place on 6-9 October.
BOCO notes that makes its ordering process simple for brands, retailers, teams and for event directors by shortening lead times to 35-40 days and allowing for minimum orders of 25 units. BOCO is also able to turn product in 2-3 weeks and it has the ability to fully customize a product with sublimation and embroidery.
BOCO offers design templates to assist in the design process and can match athlete race kits, which ‘drive some fashionable looks on the branded side’.
