There’s golf, and then there is Ryder Cup golf. To the uninitiated there is little discernable difference, but as people say these days, IYKYK.
Sure the world’s best players still drive, chip and putt their way around 18 pristine verdant holes, respectfully adhering to the sport’s storied etiquette and dress code – but as the approx. 250,000 people that attend the weekend-long Ryder Cup tournament will attest, this ain’t your average golf game. This one really matters.
Built as a two-team format that sees the best players from the USA, playing against their contemporaries across the Atlantic representing Team Europe. Whereas golf is traditionally an individual sport, the adaptation of it as a geographical – and sporting cultural – rivalry generates an almost clan-like rivalry that is more akin to a deep-seated football feud than your average day at the Country Club.
Founded in 1926, the event is held every two years with the hosting duties alternating between the continents. Different golf courses are used each time, with this year’s drama presented itself at the Marco Simone Golf & Country Club just outside of Rome, Italy.
Lead by its superstars Jon Rahm and Rory McIlroy, Team Europe’s victory (16.5 points to 11.5) unfolded in fits and starts across the baking hot late September weekend. The ‘home’ team was roared on by enormous crowds (many in fancy dress), serenaded around the golf course to the battle cries of “Olé! Olé!” The visiting Team USA mercilessly booed(!) like scenes from a pantomime.
But while the sporting skirmishes were played out on the course, it was clear that Team Europe had also secured another, crucial, victory – the sartorial one. Oh yes, so intricate does this near-hundred year old rivalry run that battle lines are also drawn in the players’ wardrobes with both the on- and off-course uniforms the result of meticulously strategy from two clothing heavyweights: Ralph Lauren for the Americans, and Loro Piana for Team Europe.
At first glance, the boisterous atmosphere of the Ryder Cup might not seem like the most natural of bedfellows for Loro Piana. The luxury Italian brand – which for 99 years has built a stellar reputation by quietly mastering the craftsmanship of some of the world’s most high-quality and desirable materials (cashmere, silk, and vicuña) – tends to shirk away from in-your-face logos and marketing splashes, so much so that after decades of quietly thriving under the radar (until it was bought by luxury goliath, LVMH), its very essence became one of the biggest trends in menswear over the past few years: quite luxury.
But competition brings out the best in people, and spectacle thrives on competition.
Loro Piana started designing the official uniforms for Team Europe in 2016, viewing the Ryder Cup as a sort of “open-air laboratory” for the brand to test state-of-the-art fabrics in the field under a variety of atmospheric conditions. The aim was to bring the luxury brand’s savoir-faire hallmark of six generations to sportswear, which has transferred its attention to detail, predilection for natural fibres, and excellent craftsmanship, adding up to an elegant and high-performance wardrobe. Or, as we prefer, to help introduce a new standard of tailoring to the world of golf.
“If you look and feel good about your appearance, then you stand that little bit taller and walk with greater confidence,” says Europe’s Ryder Cup captain, Luke Donald. “In many walks of life, and especially sport, that confidence boost can make you perform better and I know that Loro Piana has the apparel that makes players feel and play their best.”
Of course, this is no coincidence. This year’s collection of Team Europe Ryder Cup uniforms not only nods to the team’s traditional colour scheme of blue, white, and yellow – from the signature colour-blocked sweaters and polos in a soft white with bold maroon (or, as Loro Piana calls it, “kummel”) accents; the uniform polo with a canary yellow and teal colourway; and the sunflower yellow polos with navy trimming along the collar—but in addition, also were created using 3D technology for the first time to simulate the clothing’s reaction during the swing and thus to develop and design performing products that guarantee ease of movement during play.
As the sun set on Sunday, Team Europe secured the Ryder Cup via an American concession and a gentleman’s handshake. While there were wild celebrations from the throng of supporters who swarmed onto the 18th green (some of them even jumping into the lake), the players stood there hugging and high-fiving, but maintaining an air of sophisticated elegance – a quiet luxury to a scintillating spectacle. Known then what we all know now. When it comes to what to wear, there’s standard golf wear and there’s Loro Piana – IYKYK.