A question for those who love their golf fashion!

[3JackWilly]

warning! opinions needed!

Hey there everyone!

One of my dreams in life aside from making it somewhere with golf is to try and start up a Christian sports apparal line that would be able to compete with the likes of Under Armour and those types of performance companies (after all, it never hurts to dream). I really am into golf and love the brighter colors and more unique designs that we see with polos and pants that seem to be coming up on tour. I need some help from everyone, as I really like to draw and have been trying to draw some polo designs for a while now and so I look to you all for help. I was wondering what everyone looks for when they are buying a polo or golf pants from a store or from online. Do you look for brighter colors, darker colors, what kinds of patterns appeal to you? All of this would be great help to me because maybe it can help me with some more designs, and maybe sometime I will try to muster up the courage to put some on here to see what everyone thinks! Thanks!

[The_X_Factor22]

Awesome! Hopefully this works out for you someday! Personally I like darker colors with lighter colors. Example, Black with white or purple with yellow. but they have to be like adidas climalite material, nice and light and breathable.

[Vendetta]

For me, I love something brighter, unique, but not too flashy.

for example, one of my favorite golf shirts is a nike Dri-fit polo that is grey with orange and white stripes.

For material, I like adidas climalite material.

[LUMA]

I love to mix classics with the new. Like when I wear a suit, I wear a fitted suit, thinner tie, all in classic simple colors but then if you catch a glimpse of my socks, they are usually purple, pink, or lime green. Good example of what I like in golf is a company called SubSeventy. Also you need to see what age group you want to appeal too. I am 27. If you could mix the style of the 60's, 70's and 80's with todays style, I'm in.

Mix the classics with a bit of flash.

[mkotthoff]

As Kyler said, light and breathable is a must. You definitely cannot go wrong with solids or stripes. I personally like a little bit of a looser fit than most. Also I like to wear darker shirts with khakis or white pants and brighter with black or navy pants. I can't pull off plaid or anything too crazy. Good luck, I'd love to see some designs you've drawn up.

[SpinMill75]

I think the materials and cut are the most important things I look at, then the colors, patterns, etc.

I buy polos that are breathable materials, no 100% cotton shirts as they hold too much moisture. I also like more fitted clothing. If you study the cuts of clothes and fashion in Europe compared to the US, you'll see that sizes are all over the place and clothes tend to be on the baggy side.

Trendy Golf, SubSeventy, FairwayStyles, etc. carries lines of golf clothes that look classey, have a modern fit and stylish colors and patterns with great materials.

Just my 2 cents.....

[iteachgolf]

All I wear is Travis Mathew and cut/style along with material are biggest factors

[matt_included]

1. Great designs - modern colorways / patterns paired with traditional styling
2. Materials
3. Multiple color options
4. Versatility! On course / Off course
5. A company that sticks to their aesthetic...find your niche and do it better then anyone else!

Good luck on your venture...I look forward to seeing some of your designs. A word of caution though...don't flash them around the net without some sort of copyright.

[3JackWilly]

well that definately helps a ton! thanks for all the input guys! are there any types of patterns that seem to catch your eye more.. like argyle or stripes or something along those lines?

[PingG10guy]

By labeling your apparel line as Christian your really killing your dream before it even starts. The less labels you put on something the less people will judge it. This will broaden the amount of people that will potentially buy your clothes. A good clothing line is a good clothing line regardless of religious orientation. JMHO

[williamo]

[color="#1C2837"][size="2"]I am always wearing Galvin Green clothes because I get them through school for a good price with the school logo on. I have always liked to wear one color at a time. Rickie Fowler is a good example. I want all my clothes to be the same brand. Galvin Green has added a Lime Green line to their collection which I love, already ordered the pants but will order the shirt too. [/size][/color]
[color="#1C2837"] [/color]
[size="2"][color="#1C2837"]Stripes and other design things may be okay but I prefer clean clothing but with some powerful and bright color. Example on colors I like to wear: Orange, Black, Dark Blue, [/color]turquoise, Yellow, Lime Green and Red. [/size]
[size="2"] [/size]
[size="2"]I prefer to have a matching hat too, Titleist of course but in the same color scheme. [/size]

[size="2"]/William[/size]
[color="#1C2837"] [/color]
[color="#1C2837"] [/color]

[mkotthoff]

[quote name='PingG10guy' timestamp='1293956343' post='2870474']
By labeling your apparel line as Christian your really killing your dream before it even starts. The less labels you put on something the less people will judge it. This will broaden the amount of people that will potentially buy your clothes. A good clothing line is a good clothing line regardless of religious orientation. JMHO
[/quote]

That's a really good point. I, for one, don't even buy shirts that have logos from other country clubs on them. Too many awkward questions from people I don't know that might make an assumption based upon what I'm wearing.

[jmvargas]

after using them exclusively for the past 5 or 6 years for my favorite sporting activities--archery and golf--i have recently stopped buying all of these dry-fit type of shirts as they leave an unpleasant smell after a few washings despite using the best detergents available..the worst is Nike but i also use other brands like adidas, pga tour, under armour, etc...

lacoste has recently come out with a lighter and thinner 100% cotton fabric for their classic cotton shirts which is not as sweat absorbent as their original cotton..the good part is that it cost $10 less than the classic version--$50 vs $60...

i would recommend you choose more natural fabrics for your apparel line(such as the lacoste one) as the synthetic ones(all dry-fit type shirts use synthetic material) now are already getting common...

i am a single color type of guy although i also like vertical or diagonal stripes(never horizontal) on my shirts when done in good taste..

i currently favor lacoste and ralph lauren polo for my golf and dress shirts--in the finest and lightest natural fabrics i can find....

i am in the tropics and although i like darker colors it's sometimes not practical due to the heat and humidity so i normally use white or pastel colors..

a really good designer can probably come up with many variations of a classic white golf shirt which is sure to appeal to many....just a thought..

[putt4_66]

I like primary colors. I wear a lot of black and white. I also wear red, blue, yellow and green. I don't wear pastels for instance. For summer heat I like white shirts made with breathable light fabrics. This last summer I bought white shirts that had a little bit of color. The color was normally introduced in a couple of stripes that made some sort of pattern around the shoulders for instance.

I don't wear stripes, vertical, horizontal or otherwise. What I do like is shirt materials that have a subtle pattern even though they may be a solid color.

It's sometimes hard for me to find a good fit. There are so many "big" people these days that much of what is on the market is very baggy on me even though the fit is right through the shoulders. Pants are the same way, good fit through the waist, and generally the hips, but baggy from there down.

[MadGolfer76]

Keep it sophisticated but functional. I really hate the look of a lot of the lines right now; kind of goofy coloring, stripes/swooshes, and gaudy logos. Think modern Hogan.

[Jimmy Mac]

For color options, I would recommend you look to the Pantone Color forecasts. They're pretty accurate at guessing the next year's most popular colors. You really need to be on top of the next trend, not what's currently popular since it'll take a while to come to market. Right now the 80's revival colors (Lime, Orange, Purple) are popular – Fowler could be rocking the all-black or Miami Vice pastel look next year for all we know.

If you will have feedback as far as cutting goes, I would say be sure to add a couple of inches in length in the body to whatever the standard is today. Short folks can always tuck that in, and taller folk will appreciate the length when they bend over to tee up a ball.

You'll never make everyone happy with the fit, if you have the option I would recommend trimmer fits on the smaller sizes and looser fits for the larger sizes. There really should be no such thing as a "Trim Fit" XXL or a "Loose Fit" S. The problem now is guys who are 6'2" and skinny are buying XXL shirts for length and they're all too baggy. If they bought the size to fit their chest (A large, medium or whatever) and the shirt was a couple inches longer than the current standard, they'd have a good fit. Heftier guys could buy the XXL and the extra length would help there as well.

Chasing the Camilio Villegas style ultra-tailored fit is a waste of time, those will only fit one specific body type per cut. It's great for the few guys who happen to be that size, but really eliminates a high percentage of the market from buying your product. You've got to remember, something like 75% of the U.S. is overweight, go to any course on an open golf Saturday and take a tally of sizes - you'll notice there's a definite skew to bigger folk.

I think there's a definite skew toward skinnier on this board, mainly because a lot of people here tend to be competitive golfers and stay far more fit than what the average golfer would be.

For the fabrics, I personally like the tech fabrics more than cotton. The industry has come out with a lot of new fabric coatings in the past couple of years that can help with the aforementioned odor issues.

As for promoting your product as being a Christian golfing item, yes, you will eliminate some of the market, but you may find it opens up some unexpected markets as well. If you want that wider market, stay subtle in your logo/promotion of the Christian element. If your primary goal is more evangelistic, by all means be proud of what you're doing and promote it in the fullest. Just be sure that everything your company does you would be proud to share in front of a congregation - it's a very tough measure. We had a car dealer who opened the "Christian Car Company" trying to tap that market - it didn't take terribly long for the community to recognize it was just another dealership with the same questionable practices as others.

[Mtngolfer1]

[size="3"]I prefer a classic style with a modern design/material. I want to be able to walk from the office or a meeting on to the golf course. I keep the classic colors in my wardrobe but I also infuse some of the modern trends. I like some of the bright colors but I don’t like the sport look like a lime green shirt with a big white strip down the back or sides. I like a solid color polo that can be paired with a nice pant/short or a sweater. I like the classic stripe patterns that RL Polo does so well. Do this type of styling with modern fabrics and yo have a winner.[/size]

[3JackWilly]

Thanks for all of the replies everybody! I would just like to put my say in for the making it Christian apparel, seeing as though quite a few people say that it doesn't seem so good (not just on here). As a Christian, I think that sometimes it is good to remember the reason that we are here and to remember to keep a calm temperament on the golf course. I also think that there are very motivating verses in the Bible, as well as verses that help to spread God's message around to the world. I do not plan to make anything crazy in the way that I present it.. I was thinking more of having a verse and number on the back of the shirt near the bottom of the collar or maybe on the side of a sleeve..(i.e. "Isiah 54:17).

I know that there will be people who shy away from doing that, but I think that those who chose the Christian faith should be proud to support and show that faith. I know that it will take a lot of work tomake sure the company will stay so strong in its faith, but we need people to start keeping their word and get away from some of the corruption that we see in companies today. That will take time, but I could also offer some products that do not necessarily have to have the verses either. That way, whomever might not be into that would have the option to buy a shirt without those things on there.

[jbrunone]

[quote name='The_X_Factor22' timestamp='1293866868' post='2868835']
Awesome! Hopefully this works out for you someday! Personally I like darker colors with lighter colors. Example, Black with white or purple with yellow. [b]but they have to be like adidas climalite material, nice and light and breathable.
[/quote]

[/b]
Agree, but im also a fan of striped pants/shorts. Also i again like the idea of darks with whites

[finalist]

What is christian clothing? Is there a christian color palatte or cut?
I'd not associate a company with religion, but that's just me. Jews, Muslims, Atheists, etc buy clothes too.

[bk4]

Here are some things worth thinking about. Very, very few companies survive if they are offering golf only clothes. You'd have to probably market it as Christian apparel and not Christian golf apparel. Another, is you would be very limited in terms of places you could sell. It would have to almost be all internet based or Christian specialty stores. Finally, a lot of companies who are more in the golf niche (Peter Millar, Fairway & Greene, etc...) do a good bit of business by doing bulk orders for clubs and corporations. Once again, by having alluding to Bible verses on the shirt itself, you'd be restricting yourself to churches or like-minded corporations.

[g-mont]

[quote name='iteachgolf' timestamp='1293903731' post='2869270']
All I wear is Travis Mathew and cut/style along with material are biggest factors
[/quote]

I agree with this. Travis Mathew is an example of a brand that gets it. A modern fit is the most important thing. The shoulder seam should actually hit at the shoulder and the sleeves should end in the bicep area, not past your elbows.

Other than fit, I like shirts with a chest pocket (gives the shirt a classic look), material with some stretch, and the ability to wear them on or off the course.

[PingG10guy]

[quote name='g-mont' timestamp='1294205680' post='2875976']
[quote name='iteachgolf' timestamp='1293903731' post='2869270']
All I wear is Travis Mathew and cut/style along with material are biggest factors
[/quote]

I agree with this. Travis Mathew is an example of a brand that gets it. A modern fit is the most important thing. The shoulder seam should actually hit at the shoulder and the sleeves should end in the bicep area, not past your elbows.

Other than fit, I like shirts with a chest pocket (gives the shirt a classic look), material with some stretch, and the ability to wear them on or off the course.
[/quote]

If they cut the prices in half Im sure the sales would quintuple lol(look at their website). Great great styles, but I will never ever pay that much for a golf shirt. I could buy 4 discounted ping shirts for that price!

To the OP I think price point will be very important.

[TMfan54]

[quote name='collegegolfer11' timestamp='1293863684' post='2868811']
Hey there everyone!

One of my dreams in life aside from making it somewhere with golf is to try and start up a [b]Christian sports apparal line[/b] that would be able to compete with the likes of Under Armour and those types of performance companies (after all, it never hurts to dream). I really am into golf and love the brighter colors and more unique designs that we see with polos and pants that seem to be coming up on tour. I need some help from everyone, as I really like to draw and have been trying to draw some polo designs for a while now and so I look to you all for help. I was wondering what everyone looks for when they are buying a polo or golf pants from a store or from online. Do you look for brighter colors, darker colors, what kinds of patterns appeal to you? All of this would be great help to me because maybe it can help me with some more designs, and maybe sometime I will try to muster up the courage to put some on here to see what everyone thinks! Thanks!
[/quote]


What are Christian sports?

[Skaffa77]

[quote name='TMfan54' timestamp='1294253751' post='2876632']
[quote name='collegegolfer11' timestamp='1293863684' post='2868811']
Hey there everyone!

One of my dreams in life aside from making it somewhere with golf is to try and start up a [b]Christian sports apparal line[/b] that would be able to compete with the likes of Under Armour and those types of performance companies (after all, it never hurts to dream). I really am into golf and love the brighter colors and more unique designs that we see with polos and pants that seem to be coming up on tour. I need some help from everyone, as I really like to draw and have been trying to draw some polo designs for a while now and so I look to you all for help. I was wondering what everyone looks for when they are buying a polo or golf pants from a store or from online. Do you look for brighter colors, darker colors, what kinds of patterns appeal to you? All of this would be great help to me because maybe it can help me with some more designs, and maybe sometime I will try to muster up the courage to put some on here to see what everyone thinks! Thanks!
[/quote]


What are Christian sports?

[/quote]

Don't think it was meant to read "Christan Sports"...more like sports apparel line with a Christian appeal or background...

As far as designs...personally, I tend to stick more toward the classic modern looks. Reason, I wear it to work as often as I do the golf course. IMO, Nike polos are great mix of new and classic. Adidas has some good designs, but some of them look a little less appealing...like when they have the Adidas strips down the should and sleve.

I wear bright and dark colors. Solids and strips. I prefer something that is a touch more fitted (not bulky and loose everywhere), but isn't Camilo tight. I don't mind some of the unique patterns that are not symetrical, but again, I don't want it to be too loud. Puma's previous designs where they had patterns down one side of the shirt were great.

Materials: I like the newer polyester materials that wicks moisture away from the skin. Also, these do not tend to wrinkle easily and also hang on the body very nicely. I prefer button up, but don't mind zipper.

Hope this helps.

[Titleist_Baller]

Just be authentic and real with your products. Be open and available to your customer base. Not to get too preachy here, but a lot of Christian business (like the car dealer above) slap a Christian label on it and expect to be received as a solid company. Focus on being the best company you can possibly be, people will start to listen and want to know what you do and why you do it. I would say you might be able to reach more people with a solid company, as opposed to a crummy company that slaps a verse on a shirt. Does that make sense? Not assuming that you would be a crummy company that does just slap on a verse to a shirt, just showing an example... just my 2 cents.

[CassinoNorth]

Get a good logo and go from there.


Without Mathew or Lindenburg's logos they'd be no where. The logo is how people identify your stuff.

[leoh923]

Good luck with your dreams, but I would ditch the Christian angle and bible verses, they are far too personal and polarizing to allow a fledgeling company to compete in the marketplace. Nothing wrong with your beliefs, but business is business, and you just can't limit your market like that on a startup.

[KMeloney]

I think that there are many Christians out there who don't "wear their religion on their sleeves" -- so literally doing so would be completely out of the question. And if by "Christian" you don't really mean all Catholics, Protestants, etc., but rather Baptist/Born-Again Christians (it should be pretty obvious that I don't know the correct term, or what you mean, anyway), then you're REALLY reducing your market.

I am the "anti-preachy" type. I think religion/faith is personal and individual, and best shared in specific venues designated by the interest of everyone to share in that venue. I wouldn't be at all interested in golf apparel that has any kind of religious basis to it, even if it was in concert with my religion.

I think that you can be a person with strong faith and not ever feel the need to promote it to others, especially in commercial form.

[TMfan54]

[quote name='KMeloney' timestamp='1294327963' post='2878251']
I think that there are many Christians out there who don't "wear their religion on their sleeves" -- so literally doing so would be completely out of the question. And if by "Christian" you don't really mean all Catholics, Protestants, etc., but rather Baptist/Born-Again Christians (it should be pretty obvious that I don't know the correct term, or what you mean, anyway), then you're REALLY reducing your market.

I am the "anti-preachy" type. I think religion/faith is personal and individual, and best shared in specific venues designated by the interest of everyone to share in that venue. I wouldn't be at all interested in golf apparel that has any kind of religious basis to it, even if it was in concert with my religion.

I think that you can be a person with strong faith and not ever feel the need to promote it to others, especially in commercial form.
[/quote]

good post. I am still confused at to what the OP means by a "Christian sports apparel line." I don't fully understand how a line can be Christian v Non-Christian for golf apparel.