Harris-Walz camo hat sales breaking records for Unionwear in NJ

Oct 19, 2024

The night this summer that Kamala Harris and Tim Walz officially became the Democratic presidential ticket was a turning point for one New Jersey garment manufacturer.

Walz was introduced as Harris' running mate in front of a roaring Philadelphia audience on Aug. 6.

It was truly a big moment for both of them and the Democratic Party. It was also a big moment for Unionwear, the Newark company making the Harris-Walz camouflage hats for the campaign.

The impact on the company was immediate. The hats were out of stock the following morning when employees at the factory woke up to a 25,000-unit order, said Unionwear founder and owner Mitch Cahn.

In a little over two months, Unionwear, which has a history of making campaign merchandise for politicians, has produced over 300,000 camo hats, its largest order ever - all being done in an especially short time frame.

"This was right after Walz was named the vice presidential nominee. We messaged them (sample hats) down to Philadelphia, and he wore the camouflage hat on TV that night. The next day, they'd sold 25,000 hats immediately," Cahn said.

The camouflage print hat with the neon orange lettering has proven popular, possibly because it appeals to both rural folks and fashion-forward urbanites.

"I really didn't think, in a million years, that the hat would be as popular as it is," Cahn said. "That particular camouflage definitely has appealed to hunters. We've been making hats with that camouflage for decades, but we have not made it for political candidates before."

"It is popular nationally," Cahn said. "It's popular with women and with younger people who are not necessarily hunters. I don't know what's driving that."

There have been similar hats with camouflage print and orange lettering. Merchandise for Midwest pop singer Chappell Roan's 2024 tour included a camo hat with "Midwest Princess" embroidered in orange. In 2015, former president Donald Trump's campaign merchandise included a camouflage MAGA hat with neon wording.

While Cahn said that the popularity of the hat relies on people's support for the candidates, he recognizes that the hat's design is a major reason for its success. Orders for two other models of the Harris-Walz hat -- one white, one navy -- have bee much slower.

Unionwear makes 5,000 Harris-Walz camouflage hats a day, accounting for about 75% of all the campaign products the factory is making.

The company has had to arrange operations and secure additional machinery to meet the demand. The close to 160 workers at the factory have been working enough overtime hours as to double their earnings.

"We don't like to hire extra people for campaign season, because our workers are really artisans. They're making the products from scratch. They have a lot of experience," said Cahn.

Unionwear was founded in 1992. At first, it did work mostly for fashion brands such as Ralph Lauren. When much of that work migrated to China, Unionwear needed new clients. As American politicians prefer campaign merchandise that is made in the U.S., Unionwear found a niche.

The company's first entry into politics was with a small order of 150 hats for Bill Clinton's first presidential campaign in 1992. It wasn't until 2000 that it really took off, when then-Democratic vice president Al Gore was running for president. According to the company, it sold close to 200,000 hats that year.

They have also made merchandise for Republican campaigns, including hats for John McCain in 2008 and Trump in 2015.