NBA has become just as much a battle of style as it is hoops. Players like Kobe, LeBron and D-Wade have upped their off-court games to become fashion icons. Now it’s Oklahoma City Thunder point guard Russell Westbrook’s turn for a slam-dunk collaboration with Barneys.
Westbrook is without a doubt the league’s wildest dresser. He shows up to games wearing leather pants, lensless glasses and printed silk shirts.
“Fashion has been a part of my life for as long as I can remember,” says Westbrook who has received a lot of venom for his hot shot style both from his peers and the press. He has silenced the naysayers.
Luckily, Barneys saw a potential in his trendsetting ways. This month, the luxury retailer launched Westbrook XO Barneys New York. The wild colors and patterns bring to mind the now iconic and highly coveted and collectable line Andre Agassi did with Nike in the ’90s. Westbrook’s collection is just as outré, and could stick in the mass consciousness for decades.
Despite being a baller, Westbrook didn’t just focus on athletic gear. He included other product categories like denim, leather goods, eyewear, footwear, accessories and luggage (a 30-inch crocodile suitcase that sells for $2,995). Overall the collection is masculine and loudly wild, using top-of-the-line athletic fabrics combined with futuristic animal prints in a blend of extraterrestrial colors. “I’m proud of how everything turned out,” he says, “and hope that fans and customers will be as excited to wear this collection as I am.”