Following a week of outfitting several Adidas athletes in eye-catching and conversation-starting gear, the entire Adidas Golf x Palace collection has officially dropped and will be available for purchase on February 21.
Additionally, a new commercial for the collection dropped today, and it features Dustin Johnson hitting a golf ball around the world before knocking out a noisy spectator and acing what appears to be a par 4. Nick Faldo cameos in the ad, announcing this unrealistic feat.
Palace, a prominent streetwear brand based in London, has raised eyebrows with intriguing collaborations in soccer and tennis, but this marks its first venture golf. The Adidas Golf x Palace collection includes performance-focused mock-neck polos, a bright anorak jacket, loose-fitting trousers that look more like track pants, two pairs of golf shoes that infuse soccer-like design elements, and more.
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A common feature among all the pieces in this collection is Palace’s unique spin on golfwear. We caught up with Palace founder Lev Tanju to learn more about his interest in golf.
GOLF: Palace has created collaborations around soccer and tennis, two sports highly embedded in English culture, but this is the brand’s first-ever foray into golf. What sparked the idea?
Tanju: Golf is totally a personal preference. Nobody else plays it in the office but me, so I guess you could say this collaboration is a little selfish.
And in the Adidas Golf x Palace commercial that just dropped, Dustin Johnson smashes a golf ball around the world. Whose idea was that?
Tanju: I directed it, along with my friend Stuart. Stuart is uncoordinated and doesn’t play golf. Everyone in our office thinks it’s the funniest advert we’ve ever done, and I’m really proud of it. It’s really stupid and funny—it’s a bougie advert but with lots of humor in it. I play Dustin’s caddie, and half the office is in it. I hope the golf world will watch it and go, ‘whoa, what’s going on.’
When did you start playing, and how often do you tee it up now?
Tanju: I was at a wedding in 2016 and there was a rooftop bar and set up an area where you could hit golf balls off the roof. I hit a few balls there for the first time and I hit a couple good shots and just started playing and playing and playing. Before that wedding, I knew about Seve and Nick Faldo and a few others, but I was such a diehard skateboarder for so many years that I didn’t follow any other sports, except for maybe soccer. But now I’m a diehard golf fan, I watch hours of it from Thursday through Sunday. I’m drawn to golf because of how difficult and complex it is. It’s such a mental game. The type of grass you’re playing off of, the wind, the water, the type of lie you have. Golf grounds you. People can hit three-pointers all day long, which makes it kind of boring. Golf is anything but boring.
Are there any similarities between golf and skateboarding?
Tanju: Drake Jones was arguably the most stylish skateboarder around, and I was intrigued when he got super into golf. And then a couple other high-up skateboarders started playing golf and I always thought, ‘wow, it’s super weird these guys are getting into golf.’ As I’ve become a golfer myself, I now understand why—the two sports share tons of similarities. First of all, you’re on your own—there’s nobody else who can affect your skateboarding or your golfing, except for skating with or playing with someone really good because then you’re trying to maximize your game and emulate them. Also, becoming good and gaining respect in both sports requires a ton of discipline and time. Skating and golfing also means being delicate but powerful at the same time. Just so many similarities between the two sports, which is partly why I’ve gotten hooked.
Why’d you choose Adidas Golf?
Tanju: We’ve been working with Adidas for 9 years and we’ve grown a big bond together. I love Adidas and I love the golfers who wear the brand. Normally, Adidas approaches me about collaborations but this time I’m the one who approached them and told them I want to create a golf collection. In England, golf dress codes can be quite stuffy, so I basically wanted to make some pieces that I can wear myself when I play.
And what pieces within the collection are you personally looking forward to wearing the most?
Tanju: I love the polos because of the lines on the back. They’re go-faster lines and I just like how sporty they are. And all the jacquarding and the weaving—when you take a good look at these polos, there are really good patterns on it. I’m also looking forward to wearing the shoes often. I just love pieces that I can wear as easily on the course as I can to the office and out to dinner.
What’s your perception of golf style?
Tanju: I like super smart, sharp-dressed golfers. Love that look. I just wish the trousers out here [on Tour] were a bit baggier. They’re so tight. Maybe we can up the sizes of the polos on a couple of these guys, too. That’s my personal preference, which is what I do with Palace. Ultimately, I just want to make stuff that people want to wear that functions well. My hope is that people will wear these pieces in their own unique way and mix up their looks a bit.
Is this a one-and-done collaboration or will the golf world see more from you and Palace?
Tanju: I really want to stay in golf. I think there’s a lot more scope for us to do stuff. The reason why I work with Adidas so much is because they give us tons of freedom to do what we want. And creating product with Adidas, which is a European sports company that’s years and years old, is a sign of approval. If I made a golf hat myself, it wouldn’t be the same. But a golf hat I make with Adidas is totally different. It’s like a seal of approval from one of the gods of sportswear.
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