The Brand That's Making Golf More Modern
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The Brand That's Making Golf More Modern

Having grown tired of overly functional fabrics and boring designs, three young golfers have taken things into their own hands. Launched in August, Manors is already onto its second collection. For inspiration it’s gone all the way back to the vintage wardrobes of iconic golfing greats like Ben Hogan – and added a modern twist. The result is good-quality, ultra-wearable clothing that will look as good in the pub as it does in the clubhouse. SLMan speaks to co-founder Jojo Regan about changing the perceptions of golf.

So why golf fashion?
For too long now, the game's major clothing brands have focused their attention on technical and performance fabrics. Clothes designed to wick sweat and cater for a 130mph swing speed. This is great for the professionals - but those players make up 0.01% of golfers. The vast majority of us are hacking around courses and trying to hold onto our 14 handicaps. 

Technical garments are not going to be the difference between a good and a bad round. To add to this- styling, colour palettes and cuts are all outdated and, in our opinion, deeply unfashionable. Walk down the highstreet in a standard golf polo and chances are everyone knows you have stepped off the golf course. Manors wants shake up the on-the-course look whilst also providing golf fans the opportunity to wear those clothes off-the-course as well. Our focus is not about trying to hit bombs down the driveway, but going out for a game, feeling comfortable and dressing well.
 

What gap in the market did you see?
As a market, golf's apparel totaled over $5bn in 2018 - a huge figure considering the market is dominated by very few brands. Our focus is to cater for the group of golfers who, like us, care about their fashion choices. There is a huge contingent of golfers out there who love the game but feel that it is not "cool" to talk about their passion because of the negative connotations associated with the game (elitist, unstylish etc).

And where do you look for inspiration?
At its heart - Manors is inspired by the glory days of golf, the 70's - think Arnold Palmer, Gary Player and Jack Nicklaus. These were some of the most famous names in sport. Sharp cut, oversized collars, baggy cardigans and smart slacks; golf had a sex appeal about it. However, the brand is all about evolving and you can see how we bring a modern touch to this within our recent Scottish Highlands Collection which was inspired by the home of golf, Scotland.


 

Tell us about the collection.....
The Scottish Highlands (TSH) provides an opportunity to respect and pay homage to the heritage of the game whilst adapting it for a modern, fashion minded audience. Inspired by Scotland's unpredictable and striking landscapes, the collection is a diverse mixture of clean-cut silhouettes, bold checks and technical outerwear and represents a major step up for the brand. As with all we do, it is has been carefully designed to ensure clothes can be worn on and off the course. The narrative look-book, follows a young golfer’s wayward drive off the first tee; he ends up walking across the whole of the scottish countryside in the search for his ball. Golf brands typically use language and imagery that celebrate performance and success. It’s all about living under par, hitting fairways, sinking putts, crunching drives etc. But the familiarity of hitting a hook or slice off the tee is something all golfers can relate too.
 

Who would you love to see wearing Manors?
There are some famous names who play and who perfectly represent our aesthetic. Macklemore, the rapper, is a huge golf fan - as is Schoolboy Q.  They show that you can be considered "cool" whilst still being a big fan of the game (too many people keep quiet about their love for golf). 

Which are your best sellers?
The knitted polos probably. They embody the perfect match of classic but modern whilst being 100% knitted cotton and they are manufactured in Leicester. The piece that has had the best coverage is either our mockneck jumper but maybe also the trousers as a category which have performed really well. We had a pop-up in Soho recently and customers loved the quality so we sold lots there.

Finally how would you describe the brand in three words....
In three separate words: Disruptive, Respectful, British
Three consecutive: Changing perceptions (of) golf 

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