Fashion in full swing at the Ryder Cup
Loro Piana, the brand that epitomises ‘quiet luxury’, has elevated golfwear with its Ryder Cup uniform
Back in 2004, during the hangover from the 1990s “lads’ mags”, one of the editors of Loaded launched a new magazine. Called Golf Punk, it was intended to ride the new wave of young golfers who were less pipe and slippers and more a different type of smoke and Nikes. The poster boy from the pro circuit for the title was Ian Poulter, a Brit who had made a name for himself by being a handy player and by badging himself as a type of Sex Pistol meets Spice Boy by sporting a spiky dyed barnet and Union Jack trousers on the fairway.
Viewed from today’s perspective, Golf Punk, which floundered and then relaunched in 2015 as an online title (GolfPuykHQ.com) and still exists, does seem to be somewhat prescient. Today it is part of an alternative golf scene, which exists primarily online, where you can find a whole legion of influencer golfers who are as likely to wear board shorts and baseball caps as anything more sophisticated.
Last year I met one of these — Paris Hilinski, a young American woman (interestingly, many of the new “alternative clubbers”, as we could call them, are women) who at only 18 had already designed a range of golfing clothes with the late entrepreneur Virgil Abloh for his Off-White label, which she plays in. Significantly, unlike so many of the sport’s other young advocates, Hilinski is actually a pro golfer, and so all about changing the image of the sport through competing. “I’m just trying to grow the game,” she says today. “There’s a level of elitism that has existed in golf for so long, so I want to bring it to new media and younger people.”
But despite all this, there is something about the game that resists the full Malcolm McLaren. Maybe it’s the sport itself, which is slow and stately and requires a huge amount of land and landscaping. There’s almost always some sort of clubhouse in evidence, which inevitably comes with country-club vibes. And rules. It’s hard to see how this sort of context would ever really embrace the counterculture. But fair play to the kids who are trying to shake things up.
Back in the world of tournaments like the Ryder Cup, the biennial clash between Europe and the USA, there is little sign that Poulter’s stand has born significant fruit. Instead the aesthetic is elegance — golf is still a sport where the players wear kit that mostly looks like they’ve just put down a glass of whisky, levered themselves out of a fireside leather club armchair and sauntered out to the tee wearing their Sunday afternoon off-duty lounging gear.
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It is why golf is very different from other sports, where kit becomes increasingly more fit for purpose. It is, rather, quietly luxurious, which is good news for the Italian luxury goods company Loro Piana, arguably the very definition of quiet luxury. Since 2016 Loro Piana has been outfitting the European team for the Ryder Cup, which this month will held in Rome at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club — the first time Italy has hosted the competition. And in Team Europe’s captain, the half-Scottish, half-English Luke Donald, Loro Piana has an ambassador who is well qualified to appreciate the aesthetics of the collection.
Donald studied art in the US and, away from his sport, paints and draws. Loro Piana’s very identifiable look is important to him. “It creates a sense of common identity,” he says. “Europe is a large and diverse place, so creating that is no mean feat, but Loro Piana has done that well.”
To create that commonality, the brand has used colour; tones that bring to mind the European and Italian flags and Loro Piana’s signature tan “kummel” colour. And to showcase the players’ movements, there are contrasting shades on collars, chest, shoulders and sleeves.
Donald says that how the players look is important, and not just for the cameras. “Confidence is so important. If you feel confident in how you look, then this can go some way to helping your performance. Then of course you have practical considerations as well — if it is raining then comfortable rain gear that offers unhindered movement is vital.”
Like Loro Piana’s Storm System cashmere, which protects sailors from wind and rain, its Ryder Cup golf gear will be equally weatherproof, comfortable and cut ergonomically to help performance.
There are six pieces in the collection, including a short-sleeved polo shirt; a zip-up shirt made from Comfort Light fabric and superfine wool to deliver stretch, heat-regulation and softness; a waterproof gilet; and lightweight, crease-resistant trousers. Those lucky enough to be in Rome for the tournament will even be able to emulate the team’s style; a selection will be on sale at the store during the competition.
loropiana.com
