Companies Scripting Golfers Outfits To Benefit Retail Sales
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Nike Scripts Apparel For
Woods A Year In Advance |
With The Masters teeing off tomorrow, apparel-oriented companies are scripting golfer's outfits beforehand "because of the need to ensure that the exact clothes are manufactured, shipped and sitting on store shelves by the time a tournament is broadcast," according to Woody Hochswender of SI. Nike Golf Global Creative Dir Rebecca Kaufman said Tiger Woods' outfits were "decided a year ago." Kaufman: "Scripting in general is one of the most critical things we do. We're showcasing our wares at a premier event with our premier athletes. The day of the tournament, Tiger Woods shouldn't be thinking about what to wear." Hochswender notes "such a display is perhaps the greatest walking advertisement devised in the history of fashion." Nike also scripts the outfits of other golfers, including Paul Casey, K.J. Choi, Stewart Cink and Justin Leonard. adidas Golf Global Dir of Apparel Tiss Dahan said that adidas also scripts outfits for golfers, including Sergio Garcia, Sean O'Hair and Justin Rose. But "not all sportswear companies rigorously script their pros." Polo Ralph Lauren Senior VP/Marketing, Advertising & Communications David Lauren said that his company, which dresses Luke Donald and Davis Love III, among others, does not use "day-to-day scripting." For The Masters, Donald will wear Polo's "edgier, more technical RLK Golf collection, including original styles," though the "final choices will be his." Callaway outfits and equips Phil Mickelson, but "unlike other companies, Callaway is not primarily an apparel manufacturer, so its main purpose in dressing athletes is not promoting individual products so much as enhancing the brand." Hochswender notes most of all, scripting "represents triumph of function over style." With scripting, the "design and look of golf clothes have become almost entirely subsidiary to performance" (SI GOLF PLUS, 4/8 issue).
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Finch Says New Materials
Helped Change Golf Fashion |
FASHION SHOW: The WALL STREET JOURNAL's Ray Smith reported fashion brands such as Calvin Klein, Stella McCartney and Chanel have "sprinkled their collections with golf clothing in recent years," aiming to "create golf apparel that, unlike much of traditional golf clothing, players could wear from the golf course to, say, a nice restaurant." The fashion brands are "crowding the course at a time of slipping apparel sales," with the hope that "some of the newness in apparel may spur sales and bring players into stores more frequently." Calvin Klein indicated that it "plans to deliver six golf collections a year to the golf stores carrying its line." But Smith noted one "noticeable difference between designer golf clothes and more traditional lines is the fit, which in most of the designer lines is slimmed down and tailored." Calvin Klein is the "one exception," as it makes both slim and classic fit lines in its collection (WALL STREET JOURNAL, 4/7). The FINANCIAL TIMES' Colin Cameron wrote because of adidas, Puma and fashion brands such as Dunhill and J Lindeberg, the "argyle sweater of golfing cliche has been consigned to the sandtrap." Golfer Richard Finch: "The change began with fabrics. With the old golf wear, you could end up with salt marks from sweating and creasing. Now manufacturers have learnt from tennis and use high-performance material." Finch added, "The days of the standard baggy polo shirt for golf are over" (FINANCIAL TIMES, 4/5).
NOTES: In Augusta, Scott Michaux reports TaylorMade for The Masters will launch their '08 "Season Opener" golf bags to be used by its players. In tribute to the 50th anniversary of the tournament in '58, which was won by Arnold Palmer and "made famous for the birth of the phrase Amen Corner," the company chose blue and green piping for the bags' color scheme. The "unusual color scheme was taken from the 1958 Masters patrons bag, which is incorporated with a new logo on each bag." References on the bag allude to Palmer and Herbert Warren Wind, who "coined the term Amen Corner" for Augusta National holes 11, 12 and 13 (AUGUSTA CHRONICLE, 4/9)....Mickelson and Ernie Els this week have used Callaway's new I-Mix technology "interchangeable shaft system" (GOLF.com, 4/8).
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