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Originals has a deep heritage and history within the adidas brand and had been a part of golf culture in the past, now adidas has modernized some nostalgic designs and believes they are strengthening their take on the modern golf uniform.
“I think more conversation is happening with (the golf uniform) today than ever before,” adidas Global Apparel Director, Shaun Madigan, said. “And when you look at how golf is influencing fashion, but also how fashion is influencing the golf uniform, we just saw the opportunity was perfect for us to just capitalize on this moment and go back and introduce it at this very special time.”
The inspiration derives from the 1988 Masters and outfits that Tour players were wearing at the time. The line includes apparel, shoes, hats, socks, club head covers, bags and more. It will feature greens, yellows, navy, plaid pants, vintage sweaters and polos with a modern twist.
“All the product is going to perform, all of it is going to have performance elements. We’ve modernized the materials, we’ve enhanced the fits,” Madigan said. “But, at the end of the day, it’s coming to life through lifestyle. It’s coming to life through culture. So, you will get breathability, you will get stretch, you will get everything that you want from performance apparel, performance products, but you’re going to be able to express yourself through a bit more of a fashion lens, if you will.”
Madigan notes that adidas is a global sports brand that considers itself a big part of the culture that’s born from sports. That culture has been ever shifting, especially when it comes to golf and adidas believes it’s at the forefront of that movement.
“This concept has been being discussed for quite some time, and as we just started talking more about what it is that we want to focus in on, we started talking about heritage,” Madigan said. “We started talking about the past and how we could modernize the past, and I think that’s where we saw the perfect opportunity with going back to that special moment in time and diving into what those archives showed us from that era.”
Madigan has been part of the adidas organization for over 20 years and no matter the role he has been in, he has continued to hear questions about Originals making its way back to golf. Adidas doesn’t believe that Originals should be everywhere, however, and treats the line with high regard.
Within the Originals line, adidas also brought the trefoil logo back to golf, which is something that the company has been tinkering with over the past few years.
“Not too long ago, we did a partnership with Bogey Boys and that’s where we used the trefoil and we started to kind of tease what we could do from an apparel perspective,” Madigan said. “And I think seeing that and seeing the interest from the consumer, allowed us to further that conversation with the brand and the shared shareholders within the brand that have a bigger say in where Originals goes and how it shows up. That’s when conversations started to build.”
Because golfers have so many options now, adidas knew the pieces had to be right and they had to make an impact. With the weight that Originals carries and the opportunity to build on past momentum, it couldn’t be just another line.
“By staying true to our heritage, staying true to our brand, we feel as though we have product that will be unique. Unique and distinct at retail for the consumer,” Madigan said. “And when you see it, you can almost take the brand mark off of it and you still know that’s adidas Originals. You still know that there’s something there about that that plays back into heritage or plays back into a moment in time.
“And that’s when I think we knew we’re going down the right path.”
Adidas saw, though, where the brand was, how it has influenced street fashion and how Originals has come to life in other sports, they knew this was the right time to bring it back.
“It gives us more of an opportunity to enhance and influence the culture of the game and the lifestyle component of the game. We are extremely excited about how much the game has grown and evolved,” Madigan said. “We love where the consumer is interacting with the game, whether it’s on the streets, whether it’s at a simulator golf or traditional 18 holes or at a driving range, we love how much this game is becoming more accessible. And I think this Originals assortment gives him and her the opportunity to further express themselves through culture and fashion.”
