Majestic Athletic is an American

textile Textile is an umbrella term that includes various fiber-based materials, including fibers, yarns, filaments, threads, different fabric types, etc. At first, the word "textiles" only referred to woven fabrics. However, weaving is not the ...

company headquartered in

Easton, Pennsylvania Easton is a city in, and the county seat of, Northampton County, Pennsylvania, United States. The city's population was 28,127 as of the 2020 United States census, 2020 census. Easton is located at the confluence of the Lehigh River, a river tha ...

, with manufacturing facilities in

. Majestic currently designs, manufactures and markets licensed

casual wear Casual wear (or casual attire or clothing) is a Western dress code that is relaxed, occasional, spontaneous and suited for everyday use. Casual wear became popular in the Western world following the counterculture of the 1960s. When emphasisi ...

, such as

t-shirt A T-shirt (also spelled tee shirt), or tee, is a style of fabric shirt named after the T shape of its body and sleeves. Traditionally, it has short sleeves and a round neckline, known as a ''crew neck'', which lacks a collar. T-shirts are general ...

hoodie A hoodie (in some cases spelled hoody and alternatively known as a hooded sweatshirt) is a sweatshirt with a hood. Hoodies with zippers usually include two pockets on the lower front, one on either side of the zipper, while "pullover" hoodies ...

pants Trousers (British English), slacks, or pants are an item of clothing worn from the waist to anywhere between the knees and the ankles, covering both legs separately (rather than with cloth extending across both legs as in robes, skirts, and dr ...

and hats, through its licenses of several amateur and professional sports leagues of the US, such as the

NCAA The National Collegiate Athletic Association (NCAA) is a nonprofit organization that regulates student athletics among about 1,100 schools in the United States, Canada, and Puerto Rico. It also organizes the athletic programs of colleges an ...

at the amateur level, and the NFL,

NHL The National Hockey League (NHL; french: Ligue nationale de hockey—LNH, ) is a professional ice hockey league in North America comprising 32 teams—25 in the United States and 7 in Canada. It is considered to be the top ranked professional ...

NBA The National Basketball Association (NBA) is a professional basketball league in North America. The league is composed of 30 teams (29 in the United States and 1 in Canada) and is one of the major professional sports leagues in the United St ...

MLS Major League Soccer (MLS) is a men's professional soccer league sanctioned by the United States Soccer Federation, which represents the sport's highest level in the United States. The league comprises 29 teams—26 in the U.S. and 3 in Canada ...

at the pro level. Majestic was the official on-field uniform of

Major League Baseball Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

(MLB) from 2005 until December 2019, when it was replaced by

Nike Nike often refers to: * Nike (mythology), a Greek goddess who personifies victory * Nike, Inc., a major American producer of athletic shoes, apparel, and sports equipment Nike may also refer to: People * Nike (name), a surname and feminine give ...

. The company is a subsidiary of online retailer

Fanatics, Inc. Fanatics, Inc. is an American online manufacturer and retailer of licensed sportswear, sports collectibles, NFTs, trading cards, and sports merchandise, as well as sports betting and iGaming. The company began as an American online retailer of ...

, which acquired it from

VF Corporation VF Corporation (formerly Vanity Fair Mills until 1969) is an American global apparel and footwear company founded in 1899 and headquartered in Denver, Colorado. The company's 13 brands are organized into three categories: Outdoor, Active and Wor ...

in 2017.

History

Early history

Majestic Athletic was founded in 1976 by Faust Capobianco III. Prior to that time, the Capobianco family operated Maria Rose Fashions. As fashion apparel production shifted from the

Lehigh Valley The Lehigh Valley (), known colloquially as The Valley, is a geographic region formed by the Lehigh River in Lehigh County and Northampton County in eastern Pennsylvania. It is a component valley of the Great Appalachian Valley bound to the no ...

to the south, the company shifted focus to the athletic teamwear business. In 1982, Majestic batting practice jersey made its debut with the

MLB Major League Baseball (MLB) is a professional baseball organization and the oldest major professional sports league in the world. MLB is composed of 30 total teams, divided equally between the National League (NL) and the American League (AL), ...

. Two years later, the company signed its first national licensing agreement with MLB. The company made its NFL fan wear debut in 1989.

Most recent history

In August 2003, Majestic Athletic won a $500 million five-year contract, starting in 2005, as the "exclusive supplier of uniforms, jackets, T-shirts, fleece and turtlenecks to all 30 big-league teams" of MLB. Majestic had already been making official jerseys for 15 MLB teams at the time of the announcement. In 2004, after 22 years of producing MLB batting practice jerseys and fan fashions, Majestic became the sole provider of on-field uniforms for all 30 MLB teams. The Majestic uniforms debuted on field in the 2005 season.Nike to replace Majestic as the official supplier
by Paul Ashley on Call to the Pen website, 2019

acquired Majestic in 2007, and two years later the "VF Licensed Sports Group" was created. In March 2015, Majestic renewed its contract with MLB through 2019. In January 2016, Majestic finalized a contract extension with the NFL. In 2015, Major League Baseball added the

Majestic Athletic Always Game Award The Players Choice Awards are annual Major League Baseball awards, given by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). The Players Choice Awards are given following a secret ballot by players. Four awards go to a player in each league, ...

as the third, all-MLB category in the

Players Choice Awards The Players Choice Awards are annual Major League Baseball awards, given by the Major League Baseball Players Association (MLBPA). The Players Choice Awards are given following a secret ballot by players. Four awards go to a player in each league, ...

. On December 5, 2016, it was announced that

Under Armour Under Armour, Inc. is an American sports equipment company that manufactures footwear, sports and casual apparel. Under Armour's global headquarters are located in Baltimore, Maryland, with additional offices located in Amsterdam (European hea ...

would replace Majestic as the official, on-field uniform provider of Major League Baseball, starting in 2020. On May 18, 2017, Major League Baseball announced that the switch to Under Armour would take place in 2019, one year earlier than previously announced. On January 25, 2019, Major League Baseball announced that Nike, not Under Armour, would replace Majestic as the official, on-field uniform provider for the league beginning with the 2020 season. Majestic continued to provide uniforms through the 2019 season. On January 17, 2017, AFL club

Brisbane Brisbane ( ) is the capital and most populous city of the states and territories of Australia, Australian state of Queensland, and the list of cities in Australia by population, third-most populous city in Australia and Oceania, with a populati ...

announced their partnership with Majestic, marking Majestic's first sponsorship within the AFL. On April 4, 2017, VF Corporation announced it was selling off the Licensed Sports Group portion of its business, which includes Majestic, to sports apparel retailer

References

External links

* {{Sports equipment brands Clothing companies of the United States Sporting goods manufacturers of the United States Sportswear brands Manufacturing companies based in Pennsylvania Clothing companies established in 1976 2007 mergers and acquisitions 2017 mergers and acquisitions