The new brand 1Cap refreshes the classic structured baseball cap to be fully washable.

Newly launched premium performance headwear brand, 1Cap is here to shake up the baseball cap market with an innovative, ethically manufactured, washable cap made from recycled materials and designed to perform.

The baseball cap is worn by gym goers and athletes the world over, helping them shut out the world, get in the zone and do their best work. Yet, whilst it sits within the intensely innovative performance sports category, baseball cap design has been curiously unchanged for almost 100 years. As a result, the classic structured baseball cap – the ones with firm front panels – is at best hand wash only, and at worst not washable at all; a performance item that’s quite frankly unfit for performance. Cap-wearing gym goers either tolerate dirty, discoloured, smelly caps or they’re forced to throw them out after only a few weeks – it’s unsustainable for the planet and painful for the wallet. True, some unstructured snapbacks – the rugby-style caps – are washable, but if that’s not your aesthetic preference, you have no options.

In 2018 1Cap founder Albert Swift was frustrated – sick of waiting for major brands to solve the problem – so alongside his brother Alfie and friend, footballer Steven Caulker, he set out to fix it himself and make a premium cap that both looked great and was able to perform for the modern gym goer. The journey took him around the world, mainly by Zoom, and 15 prototypes later the OG 1Cap was born with a mission to extend the useful life of caps and keep the zone clean whilst we do it.

Founder Albert Swift said “I always wear caps to the gym, they’re like armour that shuts everything out and gets me in the right headspace. But before 1Cap I was frustrated with the lack of washable options on the market. There were only washable caps that looked awful and offered no shape at all, or caps that looked good but fell apart when they came even remotely close to water. I’d never wear a T-shirt to the gym more than once without washing it, so why is it widely accepted to do that with a cap…? It’s gross when you think about it. I set out to create a cap that looks good, holds its shape, keeps up with my training and doesn’t fall apart when I wash it. I’m so excited to launch 1Cap and help people like myself to find a solution to the problem once and for all”

1Cap is a six-panel snapback baseball cap with a pro profile and a LOT of structure. Working with a talented team of designers, the 1Cap team has reworked the classic look cap to withstand machine washing at 30 degrees, retain its premium look and to last for years not weeks. The traditional buckram structure of the front panels has been significantly strengthened as well as being supported with a new ‘tented’ design which protects the shape of the cap during washing. 1Cap is manufactured ethically in Nepal using recycled polyester and recycled plastic peaks, and every purchase helps to create dignified employment for survivors of exploitation.

About 1Cap

1Cap is a premium performance headwear brand. Innovatively designed, washable, responsibly produced and designed for a new generation of gym goers. Founded by gym goer and entrepreneur Albert Swift and his brother Alfie and co-owned by pro-footballer Steven Caulker, 1Cap exists to revolutionise the headwear market by extending the useful life of caps, reducing consumer costs and caps to landfill, all while making a product that looks great that modern gym goers love to wear.

After decades of stagnation, we’ve redesigned the classic structured snapback baseball cap to live longer and perform better than any cap before them, and then we’ve manufactured that redesigned cap ethically and responsibly with carefully selected suppliers and partners.

Our customers the young gym goers between 18 and 35 who use training as a way to fuel their ambitions in life, exercising to maintain and strengthen their mindset. We know they are concerned about the environment and the ethics of apparel production but they also want to look good in the gym. We’re here to keep the zone clean and the conscience clear with a product that is fit for purpose and will stand the test of time.

About Albert Swift

Albert was born and raised in North London and is a serial entrepreneur, gym enthusiast and signed-up cap wearer. He’s passionate about working out, mental health and helping others. All of this combined has led him to create 1Cap, a business that solves a real problem and has a positive impact on the world as it does it.

W: 1Cap
E: The Team