Apparel
Will Smith's new golf apparel is meant to celebrate the Masters in a very 90s way
To commemorate what would have been Masters weekend, Will Smith's fashion brand Bel-Air Athletics is releasing select items to preview a golf-inspired collection expected to drop in the coming weeks.
Smith started the brand back in May 2019 as a limited-edition collection of merchandise inspired by his breakout role on the 1990s hit TV show The Fresh Prince of Bel-Air. It has since expanded into a full-fledged fashion line of sports-inspired streetwear with winks to The Fresh Prince found throughout. Here's a look at the pieces we know will be available tonight at 7:00 P.M. EST at belairathletics.com so far.
While the image of a tiger dressed in a red golf shirt may evoke Tiger Woods thoughts, the cat is actually the brand's mascot, King Banks. Banks was the last name of the family that Smith's character resided with in the sitcom after his mother send him to live with his "auntie and uncle in Bel-Air," as the show's catchy theme song explains.
President of Bel-Air Athletics, Chris Rosaasen, formerly CEO of golf apparel brand TravisMathew, says the brand aims to celebrate sports in a fresh way. With a brand entirely inspired by sport, a major event like that Masters couldn't be forgotten.
"We wanted to offer our fans who share the love of golf and the Masters something special and limited that was clearly different than what your traditional golf brands would offer,” Rosaasen says. “Will Smith has a love for golf so it was only fitting we did a capsule collection around his favorite tournament of the year.”
On the show, Smith's onscreen golf experience is limited to a few brief episodes. A few years after The Fresh Prince ended, Smith starred as a caddie in the golf movie The Legend of Bagger Vance. In real life, Smith appears occasionally hit the links, spotted in 2014 teeing it up with Rory McIlroy in Dubai, in 2017 with PXG's Bob Parsons and most recently playing street golf with NYC's Tiger Hood in January.