The NBA is in the "middle of a style renaissance" and Thunder G Russell Westbrook's inaugural fashion collaboration Westbrook XO Barneys "represents a new kind of season opener," according to Jason Gay of the WALL STREET JOURNAL. The "concrete corridors at basketball arenas have become new runways, where fashion-conscious players try to outdo each other before they even step on the hardwood floor." But even in this "style-savvy generation," Westbrook "stands alone." He is the "experimenter, the boundary-pusher, the avant-gardist." The line features floral jackets, "distressed jeans he's ripped himself," full lipstick-red monochrome -- from shirts to slacks to shoes, cartoon-print shirts, denim vests, madras jackets, man bags, spikes and suspenders. GQ Style Editor Will Welch said, "His style of dress reflects his style of play. It's brash and borderline reckless." Westbrook: "I was a kid who was very knowledgeable of fashion. It's something that's a part of me." In college at UCLA, Westbrook's "taste began to widen; he scoured red-carpet photographs from the Oscars and other awards shows for looks," but he "preferred mixing designer styles with lower-priced purchases." The Barneys collaboration was a "first -- never before had the department store worked on a project like this with an athlete." Westbrook "engaged in frequent conversations about designers and directions and wasn't hesitant to say no -- or give a boundary-pushing yes." Barneys Creative Ambassador at Large Simon Doonan said, "Sports personalities are often style-obsessed, but not all of them can buckle down and create collaborations like these." Doonan starred with Westbrook in a "cheeky video introducing the collection, which includes a line of glasses, Westbrook Frames, made with Selima eyewear." Doonan added Westbrook "was so into all the details and fabrications." Westbrook's partnership with Barneys will "extend for two years -- four fashion seasons, to be exact." He is "already at work on upcoming collections" (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 9/27).
