Justin Rose signs apparel deal with Bonobos

Justin Rose is starting out 2019 with a whole new look after signing an apparel deal with menswear company Bonobos. This comes just two days after the announcement of a 10-club equipment deal with Honma Golf for the No. 2-ranked player in the world and reigning FedEx Cup champion.

“I feel like I've moved to a brand where I haven't lost anything in terms of technical performance but have gained so much more on the fashion side," Rose said. “I can have so much more fun with my closet and with my look in how I want to express myself without losing anything from a performance point of view.”

Rose says he subscribes to the “look good, feel good, play good" motto, which typically has materialized in traditional cuts and colors that give him an extra boost of confidence walking up to the first tee. The nine-time PGA Tour winner and Olympic gold medalist describes his style as crisp, classic and comfortable.

“Navy blue has always been a staple and a go-to for me when I’m thinking about getting the job done [on the golf course],” Rose said. “One of the shirts I’m most excited about wearing is a navy blue shirt with white palm trees. It still looks very smart and elegant, but has a little more of a playfulness to it, which I haven't had in the past.”

The formerly Adidas apparel and TaylorMade equipment sponsored golfer discovered Bonobos during a trip to New York City around five years ago and has been a fan ever since.

Bonobos has been a player in the golf apparel world since its launch in 2011, but has yet to officially sponsor a professional golfer. The menswear company known for clean cut pieces with personalized fits was acquired by Walmart in 2017.

The CEO of Bonobos, Micky Onvural, says the brand is working to reinvigorate its golf category to bring fresh thinking and new innovation to the entire golf market. From a technical standpoint, the golf bottoms offered by the brand have a UPF 50 sun protection built into the polyester or poly-blend fabrics. The shirt gripper waistband that ensures a clean tuck is a main factor in what has popularized the brand for golfers. Pants range from $88-$128 and shorts retail for $68-$98.

While the brand is known for its shorts and pants, the golf shirt offering is sneaky stylish with quality designs. In the golf category, the M-Flex Flatiron Golf Polo ($68) has sun protection, stretch panels and a classic look. The spring collection, launching Jan. 7 is expected to add new and exciting prints and colors to the line.

“A key tenant that we have within the brand is the ability to give men the confidence to express themselves,” Onvural said. “We're excited that Justin has managed to find such a great fit in all of our products...but he's also able to express his personality through some fun colors and prints that you'll start to see him wearing.”

To celebrate his transition of apparel, Rose took this opportunity to do some closet organizing to make room for his new Bonobos wardrobe.

“At the moment I am 100 percent Bonobos in my closet,” Rose said. “Everything that I've worn through the years is out and I'm starting fresh with 2019. It's been quite a liberating feeling actually.”

The 38-year old admits that he’s become a bit of a hoarder when it comes to clothes getting rid of almost 70 pairs of pants and almost as many dress shirts. Rose takes pride in his closet. At the top of his Christmas list this year? Wooden hangers—a gift he was disappointed not to receive. Nonetheless he calls his closet one of the ‘wow factors’ of his home in the Bahamas.

“It's pretty organized, only because I share it with my wife,” Rose said. “You see [inside] the closet when you walk in the bedroom, so it has to look good. It's kind of a show-closet as well as being functional, so there's a little bit of added pressure to keep it tidy.”

Rose says his closet feels a lot fresher and has certainly gotten brighter with all the new Bonobos colors and prints. He’ll likely stay a little tamer style-wise on the course but hasn’t ruled out wearing a the brands’ Hawaiian shirt-like Riviera Short Sleeve Shirt ($88).

“I think there could be a time and place for it,” Rose said. “I love some of the bold prints Bonobos offers and obviously that fits with my lifestyle living in the bahamas, so maybe I’ll try to bring some of that to the golf course.”

Rose will debut his new look later this month at the Desert Classic in Palm Springs. He’ll also be outfitted by Bonobos’ stylish off-the-course offerings for events and appearances along with appearing in the brand’s social media and marketing initiatives.

He showed off some of his striking new looks in this intro video from the brand that has us wishing he could wear one of those sportcoats on the golf course.