In the 11 years since PXG’s launch, the Scottsdale, Ariz.-based equipment brand has earned a reputation for making statements. Look no further than the tagline that company founder Bob Parsons declares brashly in ad spots: “Nobody makes golf clubs the way we do. Period.”
Now, the same can be said for PXG’s fast-growing apparel business, which was established in 2018 by Bob’s wife, Renee. PXG’s apparel turned heads with bold statement pieces and trendy yet timeless silhouettes suitable for athleisure activities like golf, yet elevated enough for apres golf, too.
“Launching PXG Apparel was driven by my desire to fill a void in the golf industry, by delivering fashion-forward styles that seamlessly blend on-course performance with off-course versatility,” Renee, who is the company’s president and executive creative director of apparel, told me by email. “Each person on our apparel team is incredibly skilled at their respective craft. Together, we are reshaping the golf apparel landscape by thinking differently and setting new standards in design, fabrications, and overall product excellence.”
I visited PXG’s apparel headquarters in December to learn more about what sets the brand apart in a golf apparel market that has become increasingly competitive. The day I arrived, PXG’s retail store was showcasing the newly-released 11-piece 2024 Aloha Capsule Collection — the company’s sixth such iteration.
PXG’s apparel division has a 15-person staff led by Lindsay Weart, PXG’s SVP of apparel, product and design, and Jose Vega, VP of design and production, who showed me around the space. Weart and Vega first met in New York while working for the luxury lingerie brand Kiki de Montparnasse before PXG came calling in 2020. Renee remains heavily involved in the design operation, aligning with the team on creative direction ahead of each season, meeting weekly with staff and maintaining a near-constant dialogue with Weart. As an avid golfer herself, Renee lives the brand’s ethos and offers valuable feedback.
“We’re always thinking of versatility when we’re designing,” Weart told me.
That willingness to adapt and pivot is perhaps most aptly demonstrated with one of PXG’s latest pieces from the Aloha Capsule, the Aloha 24 High-Low Polo (see photo). The boxy, cinch-able, high-low cut is on trend. It’s flattering, athletic and looks like something you would find in a high-end athleisure store — not necessarily a golf-specific one. It’s a top you could pair with leggings, jeans, a skirt — golf-appropriate but not golfy — and therein lies the allure of PXG’s designs.
Attention to detail is paramount at PXG, all the way down to placket design, button selection and hidden Easter eggs in prints, like the golfer silhouette camouflaged in plain sight in this year’s Aloha Capsule. PXG apparel’s ready response to current trends is one reason the apparel arm is growing at such a rapid rate. The brand’s 23rd store just opened in London in November, with several more to come in 2024.
“We want people to have the opportunity to have an experience when they come and see us, and to know that the brand is accountable to them,” said Leela Brennan, PXG’s VP of brand communications and engagement. “For the designs we do from apparel to hats to equipment, it’s all important. So our stores are really the ultimate experience.”
Before any PXG design lands in stores, of course, there’s an extensive creation process that starts months in advance. PXG’s design team visits New York and Los Angeles to seek inspiration from high-end design houses, spot trends and source fabrics. Renee herself is a fan of Dior and Chanel, influences that PXG’s designers aim to incorporate with each collection’s classic lines, fit and color scheme.
PXG particularly prides itself on its commitment to fit — a process that high-fashion houses have long employed but that is rare in golf apparel. Designs are subjected to weekly fittings on live models, and must pass muster on a seemingly endless quality control checklist: color, snap, embroidery, silhouette, concept, shoulders and hems. Even core pieces that have been previously approved and sold over a series of seasons go through the same process again each season. Those fittings are repeated until the garment is approved for production.
“We’re always challenged to think outside the box and think about the longevity of the brand,” Weart said. “And why are our customers going to be coming to us in 10 years?”
While many large-scale golf manufacturers are working up to 18 months ahead on a given collection, PXG’s turnaround time for seasonal looks is significantly shorter, making them more responsive to current trends like color and silhouettes (think: wide-leg pants, rompers and cinch-able tops like the Aloha 24 High-Low Polo).
“So, everyone’s buying this,” Vega said, gesturing to an item on the upcoming spring 2024 sample rack. “The challenge is, how do we do it for golf? What material can we use, how much does it stretch? All this has to be in play when you do these fashion kind of pieces.”
Observing PXG’s design inspiration board, which is littered with sketches, swatches, snaps, draw strings, logo variations and zippers, it’s clear that the team is passionate about its mission to merge fashion and function.
“Each piece is something that people have put love and thought into,” said Vega. “It’s a craft.”
