The list of people having an impact on the intersection of golf, fashion and entertainment isn’t long. One at the top of that list would certainly be legendary entertainer Bing Crosby, who in 1937 started the popular Crosby Clambake, an annual event that brought musicians, actors, celebrities, and professional golfers together for a friendly competition around a sport they all loved. Today, adidas and Malbon Golf are introducing a special capsule of product – The Crosby Collection – inspired by those early Clambakes and that camaraderie, spirit and fashion from an era that set the stage for what the golf landscape looks like today.
- The collection will be exclusively available for purchase on adidas.com, malbongolf.com and at select adidas and Malbon Golf retail stores worldwide beginning Monday, January 29
I’ve expressed that many brands fail to capitalize on the errors Nike makes. In a recent discussion with the Portland Business Journal, I said Nike doesn’t have to worry about losing ground because brands fear navigating the niche opportunities Nike leaves available. My intent was to show how the small spaces, crevices and cracks in Nike’s foundation aren’t going to erode quickly, but only through focused pressure on the fissures will the brands chasing the Swoosh find a way to add on to their fanbase.
I hope the video above shows because it’s unlisted. If not, it isn’t very long. It shows several of adidas’ golf athletes and the Malbon family, along with one of the greatest emcees in the history of Hip-Hop, Brad Jordan aka Scarface. How is this water in the fissure? When Nike announced they were parting ways with Tiger Woods, everyone focused on why and where Tiger would go. Golf is a major sport, but it’s niche when compared to viewership of the game vs other professional sports events.
When Nike steps away, there really isn’t some major move which can be made which would invite a new demographic to participate. Golf reaches the people who like to golf. Mabon Golf is doing what Top Golf is doing. They are attempting to reach a younger demographic. Top Golf accomplishes reaching a new demographic, but this collab lands in the lap of a different group of people. One of the only growth opportunities in golf lies in how to move more Black men to participate in the sport. TopGolf certainly adds a younger demographic, one that Nike kind of reached with their Jordan Brand and Eastside Golf partnership, but Nike failed to reach a Black older male demo that has the money to participate in golf and will wear golf gear outside of the venues. adidas may have figured something out with this collection.
Scarface represents a very underrepresented demographic in sports and footwear. Fresh off one of the most amazing Tiny Desk performances in the history of the show, Scarface makes an appearance on the golf course in this adidas collection. As a guy who grew up admiring Scarface’s lyricism, I’ve also witnessed his health issues and how he’s utilized golf to become a healthier man. He speaks to my generation and is a gateway to sport and the apparel worn for the game. The Malbon x adidas Collection isn’t a major move by adidas, but it’s an extremely smart play. This is navigating the niche (a phrase I created for a marketing strategy I call ENDEARS). Scarface is the epitome of the maturation of Hip-Hop and adidas has created a beautifully designed collection I can see brothers across the globe rocking who may have never heard of the Bing Crosby Clambake.