Freddie Couples the King

Freddie Couples King of Skins? How about King of Style!

Of all the golf I have seen throughout the years, after Sunday it is crystal clear ... Freddie Couples is in a league all by himself. Sidelined by injury since The Masters the atmosphere was palpable in Indian Wells on Sunday. You just knew everybody wanted Freddie to hit perfect shots and make all the putts. In the style department Freddie is the ultimate personification of California cool ... his gait is leisurely, his swing syrupy, his smile is infectious. Freddie is a throwback ... you young guns go work out and I'll relax by the pool and oh yeah, who was the player with the longest driving average at The Masters this year ... you guessed it!

For Ashworth Freddie has been the face of the brand for 20 years. There is no better endorser on the planet for ANY apparel brand than Freddie Couples. In the arena of the golf apparel business Ashworth has taken its hits, just like Freddie has had his ups and downs. The difference is when Freddie doesn't play well it still looks great and doesn't affect the bottom line. But this is a new day ... a new management team at the helm at Ashworth and Freddie's return to tournament play are nicely coinciding. Of course the return of namesake John Ashworth after a silly 10-year absence is the most fashionable ingredient.

I sat with Jerry Montiel and John Ashworth in their booth in 1990, to pitch a partnership. I refer to the ‘90s as the Ashworth glory days. Well, with Freddie healthy and about to inject a much needed shot of cortisone into the Senior Tour (I cannot and will not get used to “Champions Tour”) I predict Ashworth will re-invent itself and return to their rightful place in the world of Golf Fashion ... King of Cool!

On the business side of Golf Fashion it will take a season or two for Ashworth to rectify the colossal mistakes made by the previous management team. Over distribution and a severe lack of attention to the heart of the golf business ... green grass shops! The recent quarter results showed an expected loss, due to the elimination of nonperforming accounts and a reduced presence at retail. With John's first full collection to be showcased at the PGA show in Orlando this coming January, there will be plenty of pros and buyers that can't resist the most lethal California Cool combination on the fairways ... Freddie and Ashworth.

Stay tuned for an in-depth interview with John Ashworth in the next couple of months.

Always playing the A-game,

Auke

Se Ri's custom look

When I awarded Se Ri Pak the Best Dressed Award for 2007, it was apparent that we would get along nicely. When I saw Se Ri the next time at the JPC Golf and Gala in D.C., we established a nice rapport during the golf tournament. She would hit the tee shot for the groups coming through on the first tee and I would judge their clothing for the Best Dressed Award.

Se Ri was always dressed in great colors with neat trim accents. The only part that didn't fit in this great image was a basic white and black bag. I brought up the subject with her agent and he agreed. I suggested we create something colorful that would complement her great looking clothes. After making some inquiries I got in touch with Keri from Keri golf and we hit it off. I choose the Golden Age color as the base color, because it is elegant, very versatile and was invented by the great Dutch painters during the Golden Age, named as such due to the unprecedented amount of world renowned Dutch painters during this era.

The creative brainstorming sessions included the color and location of the logos; most importantly the brand new logo of Se Ri's sister Yoo Ri's clothing collection. The little valuables bag and custom color zippers made for a great finishing touch. The extra pockets would provide Se Ri room for a bite on the course and the double strap would give her caddie the choice of carrying the bag over both shoulders.

We had allowed plenty of time for production and the bag arrived about 10 days before the Golf Hall of Fame induction ceremony. At this time I had contacted Otabo custom shoes to create a pair of shoes to match the bag and voila ... a one of a kind custom made combination of a very cool bag and shoes celebrating Se Ri's heritage with the Korean flag colors. Se Ri was delighted with the result when she saw the bag and shoes right before the festivities in St. Augustine.

Although I have quite a few other passions, creating unique one of a kind product, customized for an individual gives me the greatest joy. There is no better feeling, than to own a product that is specifically created for you. Se Ri will be the first player for whom her apparel, shoes and bag are all coordinated with custom made product. It is a great example of how a team of creative experts can work together and achieve fabulous results. Keep your eye out for Se Ri on the LPGA Tour and let us know what you think of her new look.

Style has no handicap,


Auke.

Tiger discovers "new" shirt

Raglan sleeve configuration biggest news for golf apparel in 2008.

So the year in Golf is almost over and all the media is perusing over the less important news in golf....who won what and how much money? ... who plays what equipment? ... and, oh yeah that new NASCAR imitation the FedEx Cup.

It was in the third round of The Tour Championship that the most important Fashion statement of the year was made, by no less than Tiger the Brand himself. Everybody was mesmerized by his 28 on the front nine, I however was intrigued by the fact that Tiger finally discovered the benefits of a raglan sleeved shirt. The cover of Golf World gave it a little extra punch!

When Tiger choose to wear a mock neck in PGA Tour competition, Nike saw sales increase 300+ percent. It also took an act of Congress ( Private Country Clubs) to allow the casual apparel to be sported on the fairways of the most hallowed grounds of this historic game. The same won't be necessary for the raglan, but could be just as ground breaking. The raglan sleeve is named after Lord Raglan an English war Lord who lost an arm during Waterloo in 1815. He had an overcoat made with the shoulder seam running from the arm hole directly to the neck line, so the loss of his arm would be less visible.

Fast forward to 2007 ... The movement of the golf swing creates friction with the traditional set-in sleeve, which is designed for the more vertical arm movement of Polo ( hence the polo shirt ). On multiple media platforms, I will introduce the raglan sleeve which moves with the more diagonal plane of the golf swing as "The Golf Shirt". World beaters like Retief Goosen ( Ahead ), Adam Scott ( Burberry ) and Zach Johnson ( Dunning ) have benefited from the advantages the raglan sleeve provides. It was only a matter of time before Sir Tiger with his legendary attention to detail, would make the switch. Inquiries to both Tiger's agent and the top brass at Nike were left un answered as far as Tiger's preference for the future and Nike's plans. My hunch is, we'll see more of it in 2008.

Here is the Aukesphere prediction ... the raglan will share center stage with the other trend that will make a Fashionably splash ... HYBRID APPAREL!

Auke