This morning, Bonobos unveiled their newest collection â a co-designed capsule with their long-time partner, Justin Rose. The Justin Rose Golf Collection consists of spring-forward polos, pants and shorts that are meant to be worn on and off the course.
GOLF’s Emily Haas sat down with Justin to chat about his experience designing the collection, his personal style, favorite items and more. This interview has been lightly edited for clarity.
Is this the first time youâve been involved in the design process start to finish with Bonobos?
Yes, very much so. I mean, obviously Iâm a couple years into my relationship with them, and I guess everyoneâs getting more and more comfortable with it â me with the brand, the clothing, the style and the vibe, then obviously them with me, just listening to some of my feedback over the years. Itâs a really fun project that weâre dipping our toe into the water with, and I feel very honored and flattered theyâre willing to do it with me â you know, putting that great brand alongside of mine, so itâs very nice.
Thats awesome! Aside from the golf course, where did you pull inspiration for this line?
Iâve leaned heavily on the design team at Bonobos, though Iâve evolved over the last coupled of years in terms of pushing the boundaries of what I feel comfortable wearing. Bonobos has a really wide spectrum of clothes and styles and prints and fabrics that kind of cater to everybody, but because thereâs the more âout thereâ side than Iâve ever experienced before â some of the bold prints â Iâve really challenged myself to adopt (those styles into my wardrobe). Now I feel very, very comfortable in them as well, which is the important thing. But itâs still my style â a fairly modern, classic vibe. I still love my navy blues. I still like being conservative on certain occasions. I have the opportunity within the framework of the capsule to have some fun with it, but also be able to take my golf very seriously and obviously be there to perform and do a job on the golf course.
I totally hear what youâre saying about the printed shirts, and I know Bonobos has become very well known and loved for their prints. Do you have a favorite?
To be honest, this one Iâm wearing now is very very cool. It might be tulips? Iâm not sure you can take full value for the rose on this one, but there is a (rose-print) shirt Iâm going to wear on Sunday at Augusta, which is my favorite shirt. Itâs a white shirt â so you know very classic â but it has a very bold print. And you know, itâs Sunday at Augusta â I canât be too cliche in terms of wearing green, but obviously thereâs a little bit of a green stem in the rose logo, and it would tie in rather well with the green jacket. I think really good style is all about accessorizing and layering. For me, I feel like you can always dress much better in cold weather than you can in warm weather. So yeah, I need to layer it with a nice green jacketâ¦thatâs the plan.
Good luck! Iâll be rooting for you so we can see that outfit come together! So, my understanding is that this line is meant to be worn on and off the course. How does your off-duty look differ from your on course style?
Iâve always had this measure â if Iâm going to wear it on the golf course, I also need to be comfortable wearing it at Starbucks on the way home while Iâm grabbing a coffee. Thereâs definitely been some looks throughout history on the golf course that would make people say, âwoah, whatâs this guy wearing?!â if they were to walk into a restaurant. For me, that crossover is really, really important. Bonobos has so many styles â for example, the Riviera Shirts are an off-course, short sleeve cotton button down. Thereâs such a cross over for a style like that. Itâs appropriate on or off the course. Fabric is a big differentiator between what Iâm wearing to dinner and what Iâm wearing on the course. But the look and the feel of the product can crossover. My off course style is still somewhat conservative, somewhat classic. Particularly when Iâm here in the Bahamas, I like wearing a white short with a navy or chambray-style linen shirt with white buttons. Itâs classic, but it has a modern twist. My little girl is quite funny, actually. Whenever I wear white shorts with a black shirt â something very monochrome â she says, âoh Daddy, looking very modern today.â Itâs quite funny.
Thatâs very cute. Bonobos has a good variety of golf-specific wear and more lifestyle wear, so I guess youâre able to mix and match those categories nicely.
And thatâs what I love about it. Obviously living in England and experiencing some cooler weather, some of their layering pieces â outerwear, jackets, cable knit sweaters â are great statement pieces. Thereâs this Italian five-pocket wool trench coat that I have in England thatâs almost making me miss the cold. Itâs nice to have the opportunity to be with a brand that can outfit me head to toe on course and off course.
Thatâs great! Are there any specific features like sun protection or breathablity or stretch that you value most in your golf apparel?
Stretch is critical. Bonobosâ pants are incredibly comfortable. Their cut is probably the most important thing. When you crouch down to read putts, you want that movement in the fabric, without looking like youâre swimming in your pants. If pants are too baggy, thatâs not a cool look. You want them to be fitted and athletic, and Bonobos perfectly strikes that balance. Theyâre known for their cut and make pants for everyone no matter their shape or comfort level to ultimately make them feel their best.
Shop Justin’s favorite printed polos below and visit Bonobos.com/Justin-Rose-Pro-Shop to see the full capsule.
Justin Rose Performance Polo
