BOCO Gear Turns Heads at the Ironman World Championships with The Launch of Performance Trucker Hats

One year old Boulder-based makers of stylish and technical headwear is worn by over 30 brands and hundreds of athletes at the Ironman World Championships

(Boulder, CO – Tuesday, October 20th, 2014) – – BOCO Gear, a leading brand of performance headwear, was the most prominent brand in the technical trucker hat category worn at the Ironman World Championships, which was held the week of October 6th, 2014. Last year, Pro Triathlete Luke Mackenzie placed second and ran the marathon portion of the race with a generic bright green trucker hat. Since then, the demand for the “Trucker” grew, although athletes desired a more technical version. Kay Martin, President and Founder of BOCO Gear, worked with Pro athletes and age group athletes this past spring and summer to dial in the performance fabric, fit and functionality to create a hat that was more comfortable to train in, more breathable and ultimately, something they could race an Ironman race in.

With over 23 years in the apparel industry across companies such as Pearl Izumi and Moving Comfort, Martin has a rich history in performance fabrics and has established herself as someone that delivers quality and meets the timelines of her customers. Martin was the former President at Headsweats and she launched BOCO Gear to have more freedom to fulfill the most specific customer requests and a desire to make her product even better than what the market offered. With the Performance Trucker hats for example, a point of differentiation is that all fabrics utilized are performance fabrics. Moreover, BOCO has the ability to fully customize the product with sublimation and embroidery. They developed a technical sweatband on the inside to help move moisture and worked with customer brands and teams to develop a fit and look that would satisfy the athlete, fan and sponsor. BOCO is not limited by what they can print and they can even match athlete race kits, which drives some fashionable looks on the branded side.

In 2013, BOCO was a new player in the endurance sports market that immediately established a name for themselves when they changed the performance visor landscape overnight. They accomplished this by offering an updated elastic back to a visor that could be customized, alongside a progressive line of beanies and headbands that were also trending. For Kona 2014, brands that wore BOCO Gear headwear included The Ironman Foundation, CEO Challenge, GU, Newton, Zoot Sports, Cervelo, Betty Designs, Tri Bike Transport, Roka Sports, Normatech, Bike Works, Velo Stop, Ashworth Awards, Everyman Jack, Training Peaks, Smart Triathlon Training, Osmo Nutrition, Oomph, Smashfest Queen, Coeur Sports, Active Angelz and Bonk Breaker. In just one year, BOCO is on track to triple their year over year sales growth.

“I launched BOCO Gear because I saw an opportunity to update and upgrade the options available in custom performance headwear,” says Martin. “The category had become stale and dated and we wanted to build a brand that was more updated and on trend. We also work really hard to customize product for our customers rather than insisting on our own logo placement and exposure. While it’s a philosophical shift in the headwear market, this pushes us to continue to drive innovation, dynamic designs and eliminate barriers such as lead times, minimums and customization options that have frustrated customers in the past.”

As a company known for progressive customer service, BOCO makes their ordering process simple for brands, stores and for event directors by shortening lead times to 35-40 days and allowing for minimum orders of 25 units, placing them in a headwear category that stands apart. BOCO is also able to turn product in 2-3 weeks and they offer templates and help with the design process. To learn more about BOCO or check out their offering, including their Performance Trucker Hats, visit www.bocogear.com.

ABOUT BOCO GEAR:

BOCO headwear offers performance hats, visors, beanies, headbands, trucker hats, gloves, race belts, all of which can be customized. To learn more about BOCO or to view their entire collection, visit www.bocogear.com