Flip through the latest issue of Gulf Weekly.
American rap sensation and designer Tyler, the Creator, is jazzing up the game of tennis with retro-inspired colour-blocked tracksuits to offer sport fanatics a touch of nostalgia in a range of genderless apparel.
Tyler’s brand, GOLF le FLEUR, has teamed up with French fashion house Lacoste to design an eighties tennis court-side capsule collection that would delight the likes of Wimbledon champions Serena Williams and Andy Murray.
The 16-piece line, titled GOLF le FLEUR* x Lacoste, features tracksuits, bucket hats, polo shirts and varsity jackets in pastel shades, a common colour palate worn by the rapper.
The hues were renamed to express singularities produced by surprising multi-shades or complementary side tints. It’s not dusty pink anymore, its “litchi” and beige becomes a mineral “geode”. Forget about off-white; here we are talking “mascarpone”.
Also, the GIF-inspired shades plastered over garments, appropriated from Lacoste’s historical archive, boldly display contrasting elements to develop a sportswear-inflected chic look infused with retro references.
Straight, unisex cuts were applied to deliberately thick cotton to produce short-sleeve polo shirts, buttoned tees, sweatshirts, shorts and bucket hats to ooze poise and vintage vibes. Cut from wool cloth, the classic varsity jacket with extra embroidery takes on a couture slant, while matching jacket and sweatpants combos reinterpret jogging lore with pastel tones.
Buttoned all the way up, white collars stand out against pigmented canvas which can be hitched up over forearms and ankles to bare a rib trimming, as a nod to an old-school heritage tinged with modern-day casual.
Somewhere in-between the classy, laid-back tennis lifestyle and street-level subcultures, the collection is set to redefine conventional notions of elegance and casual style.
The line will be launched today in stores around the world and online. It fits in perfectly with Lacoste’s image as the company itself was founded in 1933 by tennis player René Lacoste and André Gillier.
