John Geiger could have released his latest baseball hat collection anywhere in the country, but there really was only one place — the city of his home team.
Geiger, 39, a Sto-Rox High School graduate and basketball star who grew up in several Pittsburgh neighborhoods, chose the ‘Burgh and the home opening weekend of the Pirates and New York Yankees series for the “Lids x John Geiger Pop-Up Experience.”
In collaboration with Lids, Geiger will officially unveil his Misplaced Series featuring fitted hats in select Major League Baseball designs, including three Pittsburgh Pirates variations.
Geiger chose the name “misplaced,” because it can have several meanings.
You can catch Geiger on the North Shore inside the former Finnegan’s Wake on East General Robinson at 10 a.m. Saturday where he will release the full collection. There will also be a customization station where people “can add stuff to the hats,” he said.
Geiger also plans to have his signature sneaker line on hand.
The pop-up will feature an exclusive red/black colorway of the Pittsburgh Pirates hat available for purchase, in addition to the full collection.
Having an exclusive Pittsburgh hat is why there was no question about where to do the launch, he said.
“Sto-Rox and Pittsburgh are the nitty gritty,” said Geiger, who lives between Tampa, Fla. and Puerto Rico. He also has a popular athletic shoe line. “I am a hometown guy, so it was great to get three different colorways approved. This has never actually been done before with three logos over top of each other on headwear.”
The hats are being launched in conjunction with Major League Baseball and New Era. The fitted hats known as New Era 5950 are $60.
The collection will be available starting Saturday at select Lids stores and on LidsHD.com.
“Lids is the store that as a kid everybody goes to,” Geiger said. “I remember being in high school and going to Lids and buying hats. And now getting to work with them and MLB … it has been, like, full circle.”
Known for disrupting placement and branding, Geiger’s approach reimagines team logos with layered, overlapping designs.
For this collection there are 12 styles and nine teams – the Pirates, as well as, the Chicago White Sox, Florida Marlins, Los Angeles Angels, New York Mets, Philadelphia Phillies, St. Louis Cardinals, Tampa Bay Rays and Texas Rangers.
Geiger said the cities that are part of the collection went through a design phase and approval process by Major League Baseball and the teams.
Following the pop-up, Geiger will throw out the first pitch ahead of the Pirates’ game against the Yankees on Saturday. The game starts at 4:05 p.m.
He has thrown out the first pitch before, but to be part of the home opening weekend is special, he said. Geiger, who is an athlete, said he is confident in his pitching arm and is hopeful Pirates star Andrew McCutchen will catch the throw.
“I grew up my whole life in Pittsburgh,” said Geiger, who studied criminal justice in college. “I have always loved fashion.
He said is draws inspiration from icon Andy Warhol. Geiger began his line with sneakers through Nike in 2012 and a few years later went out on his own. The John Geiger brand was founded in 2018. He was recognized as a 2025 trailblazer by Footwear News.
“It just kind of took off from there,” said Geiger, who gets back to Pittsburgh often. He has collaborated with the Penguins, too, and is working on a project with the Andy Warhol Museum. “Pittsburgh is a cool city and there’s nothing like it. I try to explain it to people, but you don’t get the full experience until you come here. It’s raining on Opening Day and I’m like, well, this is Pittsburgh.”
Geiger, who has 104,000 followers on Instagram, said it took about a year-and-a-half to design this line.
“I am happy with the outcome,” he said. “There will be 300 or more people in line tomorrow. “