Peter Millar vs Travis Mathew: A Style Showdown

Peter Millar and Travis Mathew are, to many golfers, household names. Despite names that sound like third-generation fraternity brothers or snobs who ask, “Do you know who my father is?”, neither are real people. Their brands have grown immensely in the last decade, battling for a share of the golf apparel industry pie and coming away with sizeable slices. 

In This Corner: Peter Millar

Peter Millar has been building its reputation for high-quality clothing in the golf and lifestyle industry since 2001 when it originated in North Carolina. Founder Chris Knott plucked the name from a vintage lawn bowling set his mother gave him. Knott believed the name signified a premium quality that aligned with his brand vision.

And In This Corner: Travis Mathew

Travis Mathew, only a few years Millar’s junior, was founded in 2007 by Travis Brasher and Craig Perrine. Unlike Millar, it abstained from the classic-ness of traditional golf almost entirely and traded on a brazen brand position. Built in and inspired by Southern California, the company’s aesthetic and tone reflect much of the West Coast’s cultural institutions and attitudes. 

Different Strokes for Different Folks

In many ways, they each are the respective archetypes of coastal golf style. Millar leans heavily into East Coast exclusivity and Mathew reflects laid-back West Coast nonchalance. Their respective ownership also lends stock to their contrasting vibes. Millar is owned by Swiss luxury brand portfolio Richemont and Mathew is owned by Callaway. Yes, that Callaway. 

Head-to-Toe Offerings

Despite their differing creative directions, both brands have you covered, literally, from head to toe. Both Peter Millar and Travis Mathew offer a wide variety of on-course essentials such as polos, bottoms and accessories for men and women. Additionally, both continue to build on lifestyle apparel segments that have elevated each to the 19^th hole and beyond. Technically speaking, both also offer footwear, though under aliases. Cuater in the case of Travis Mathew and G/Fore which Millar acquired in 2018. 

Pricing Contrast

Unlike literally anything else from California, Travis Mathew is actually the less expensive brand in our head-to-head showdown. In contrast to Millar’s slightly more elevated price points, Travis Mathew polos, like its best-selling Heater Polo, start at about $90. Millar’s Solid Performance Jersey Polo sits at $95. While neither exists at the extreme end of the high-price spectrum, they are both decidedly premium brands.

Material Differences

In its core polo, Mathew leans on a tri-blend fabric that features polyester, cotton and Spandex. Millar, on the other hand, relies on just polyester and Spandex to deliver moisture-wicking performance. The incorporation of cotton in Travis Mathew is inherently Californian, where natural fibers can be worn year-round thanks to the temperate climate. In the balmier parts of the southern Atlantic coast, it makes sense for Millar to rely on lightweight polyester to move and dissipate moisture. 

Know Your Collars

While the average consumer may not be able to distinguish the difference in each of the brand’s fabric or how it feels against the skin, the aesthetic differences become a bit more obvious. As discussed in our last article, Proper Golf Attire: A Primer in Fashion and Function, collars are the distinguishing feature of a polo.

In Millar’s more classically inspired offering, golfers will find a wide variety of self-collar styles with a knit-collar construction variant on the aforementioned Solid Performance Jersey Polo, cleverly varied in name as Solid Performance Jersey Polo Knit Collar. What Millar lacks in creative naming (can we get any more original?), it makes up for in timeless design, relying on a three-button placket in the brand’s roomier Classic Fit. Mathew, on the other hand, offers self-collar constructions exclusively which aligns with their more casual take as a whole. 

Stripes or Solids?

As we look beyond fabric and basic polo components, the differences become much clearer. Both brands offer a handful of solid color options, as is necessary. But, when we dive into each of their approaches in pattern and print, their opposing coastal creativity shines.

Millar’s Approach

Millar’s approach is really grounded in classic yarn-dyed stripes as seen in styles like the Hemlock Performance Jersey Polo. A yarn-dye stripe refers to how the stripe is applied, or in this case constructed, within the fabric itself. Yarn-dying refers to the coloration of actual yarns that are then knitted into the striped fabric. It’s truly the old-fashioned way of doing it and will never wash out.

Mathew’s Take

Printed stripes are, as the term suggests, applied after the fabric is constructed. It’s the less expensive application of the two and generally looks a bit less traditional. It should be no surprise, then, that Travis Mathew relies exclusively on printed stripe and graphic applications as in its Villa Life Polo. It forgoes the all-over stripe motif, opting instead for an upper-chest application that feels sporty in comparison. 

Contrasting Styles

Beyond stripes, however, Mathew offers a variety of bolder graphic applications as seen in styles such as the Take the L, or Rattler polos. These and similar styles play on chest stripes but incorporate secondary graphic elements that epitomize the playfulness of the brand.

The North Carolinian approach is exemplified by Millar in the subtlety of their all-over prints, a graphic technique which, again, is rather self-explanatory. As the name implies, these prints are literally all over every inch of the garment. Take the Avon Performance Jersey Polo as an example: the print is small in scale and, from a more than a few feet away, reads almost as a solid or subtle texture. In other words, it’s more of a discovery element than an in-your-face feature.

There are no more distinct examples of these differentiated approaches than Millar’s Chillax Polo, whose pattern features cocktail shakers and drinkware in a small-scale repeat. Contrast that with Mathew’s Casino Strut Polo, whose stacked $100 bills are printed to appear as if billowing from the left chest pocket.

Color Commentary

Another one of the more obvious visual differences in the brands’ distinct approaches is color. Millar’s more traditional, saturated hues are inherently East Coast prep.  Contrast those with the more coastal Californian palette of Travis Mathew, whose dusty shades of similar base color values feels immediately more laid-back and relaxed.

Local Inspiration

Once again, geography likely plays a massive role in the two philosophies. With a backdrop of the Southern Atlantic Coast, Millar adopts bright, collegiate standards of primary colors and their fully saturated complementary counterparts. Millar’s Soul Performance Mesh Polo is a glistening example of their affinity for jewel tones like “Cape Red” or “Misty Rose.” Travis Mathew features a palette that appears to be overlaid with coastal fog, desaturating and softening every value. Styles like the Warmer Tides Polo, with the not-quite-navy “Total Eclipse” color option highlight how the brand plays with duskier takes on tradition. 

Let’s Get to the Bottoms

Contrary to some of the above, it’s Millar who approaches bottoms with a bit more of a bold flavor than its Californian competitors. That’s not all that surprising when you consider the brighter colors and printed trousers that are synonymous with coastal Atlantic style from Salem to Savannah. Millar embraces the traditional approach to bottoms, serving up modern takes on the standard in styles like the e66 Performance Five Pocket Pant, offered in a dozen colors and a camo variant!

Travis Mathew, however, keeps things decidedly simpler and uses bottoms as a grounding element to let the popularity of their polos take the spotlight. Their Open to Close Pant, does, however, follow all of the same color cues we’ve outlined, offered in 11 colors, nearly half of which are heathered variations, once again epitomizing their mellow mood. 

And the Winner Is …

Perhaps it’s a bit of a modernistic everyone-gets-a-trophy approach but the short answer is we all win. The beauty of style and design is that only one person can judge what’s cool – you! Well, you and all of the other golfers around the globe.

As golf continues to evolve in every aspect, whether that be equipment technology and performance or, in this case, style, the reality is that there are so many great options and one size does not fit all. As the saying goes, variety is the spice of life. We, dear readers, are lucky to be golfers of this era with an enormous option of spice from which to choose. 

What’s your polo preference? Do you trend towards Millar or are you more of a Mathew kind-of golfer? Let us know in the comments.