How does that saying go? “Look good, feel good, play good?”
Callaway and Perry Ellis just made it a whole lot easier to look and feel good.
The other part? I can’t help you there.
Introducing the new Callaway Premium collection. This upscale, updated apparel collection focuses on high-performance fabrics and technical innovation to get the job done.
Translation? For Callaway, apparel is no longer an afterthought. If you’re going to go in on making a “premium” apparel line, you’d better nail the details.
(Spoiler Alert: They did.)
Here’s what you need to know about the Callaway Premium collection.
Quiet Luxury
The words that come to mind when I first set eyes on the Callaway Premium collection were “quiet luxury.”
Where typical Callaway apparel (and Original Penguin, to a degree) lean on bright, loud designs to draw attention, the new Callaway Premium collection is understated and more dressy.
That, in and of itself, is a win. If you’re claiming to be premium, you need to put yourself in the same conversation as the Millar’s and Greyson’s of the world. Letting your fabric and fit do the talking is the way to accomplish that.
“We are excited to bring the exclusive Callaway Premium collection to market,” said Oscar Feldenkreis, President and CEO of Perry Ellis International. “It’s a beautiful, luxurious and carefully curated collection for the dedicated golf aficionado who aspires to wear the finest high-performance apparel, both on and off the course. This unparalleled luxury apparel collection represents the perfect fusion of function and fashion.”
The carefully crafted and collection is understated, sure, but it doesn’t shy away from performance.
Callaway and Perry Ellis put a lot of thought into each and every piece. From my first wear, that much was evident.
Elevated fabrics that feel buttery soft? Check. Polygiene silver chloride finish that’s anti-microbial and helps dispel odor? Check. Callaway even toned down the branding enough that if you aren’t looking for it, it’s easy to miss.
All of this in the name of quiet luxury.
“We are proud to be involved with our partners at Perry Ellis who have created an exceptional upscale apparel collection that fits well with our premium brand and our corporate wide commitment to products that our founder, Ely Callaway, called ‘pleasingly different and demonstrably superior’,” said Chip Brewer, President and CEO of TopGolf Callaway.
The technical stuff doesn’t stop there. The garments are quick drying, stretchy, breathable and flexible in all of the right places. In other words, they’re built for the golfer.
That’s Not a Callaway!
I’ve spent ample time getting to know the new Callaway Premium collection.
The best way I can describe my experience is similar to an iconic Buick commercial, in which the protagonist proclaims, “That’s not a Buick!”.
I liken the premise of that commercial to Callaway’s Premium collection.
In the commercial, the new Buick is “unrecognizable.” It’s nicer and more luxurious than what Buick was thought to be.
By that same token, the new Callaway Premium collection looks and feels like anything but what we’re used to from Callaway. Of course, that’s a purposeful change and I’d like to think that’s exactly what Callaway was going for. Some might call it a “Paradym” shift.
You don’t delineate between “premium” and “non-premium” unless you really want consumers to see and feel the difference. This ain’t the same Callaway apparel you can find at Sam’s Club or on the Marshall’s clearance rack.
The garments I’ve tried from the Premium collection are soft, stretchy, technical and classy. That’s what I’m looking for in a polo or shorts.
Perhaps the greatest compliment I can pay to the new Callaway Premium collection is this: I’m wearing Callaway clothing and I’m proud of it.
The Callaway Premium collection is what Callaway apparel should be. It’s everything that it should have been from the beginning. Nonetheless, it’s dang good golf apparel that anyone would be happy to be seen in.
WYBob
2 years ago
Thanks for the article. The upscale golf apparel space is getting interesting, but also crowded. Great for golfers to have classy, stylish, and high quality apparel to choose from. In five years time it will be interesting to see who hit the mark and survives, and those that fell by the wayside.