G/Fore '18 Fall Apparel
Photos: Beth Coburn, bc fotos
Location: Eagle Valley Golf Course, Woodbury, Minnesota
G/Fore is an apparel brand that is the brainchild of the owner, founder and chief designer, Mossimo Giannulli. If that name looks familiar to you, it’s the same guy that founded “Mossimo” in 1986. In 2000, he forged a multi-million dollar licensing agreement with Target stores before being acquired by Iconix Brand in 2006. A deal that was reportedly worth around 135 million.
“Moss” as he is referred to, is a golf fanatic. A single digit handicap living on the on the second hole of the Bel-Air Country Club in Los Angeles. In 2012, he decided he wasn’t ready to throw in the towel just yet and merged his trade with his passion. G/Fore was born. Moss describes G/Fore as a brand, “Born out of a desire to express myself while playing, and to help inject a little more fun and flair back into the game.”
G/Fore started their brand around the golf glove category. He took a premium AA Cabretta Leather golf glove and added some color to them. He made them the fashion accessory they once were back in the days of Player, Ballesteros, Nicklaus and Palmer. It was a way to stand out with a hint of fashion without over doing it. It was cool, but no one was doing it anymore, and was Moss’ point of entry into the golf space.
The gloves took off and Moss found that he stumbled into category that resonated with his buyers, golf professional, and members of clubs. The guys that were wearing his gloves, professional athletes, and celebrities demanded some golf shoes that matched the style of their gloves.
Moss took the style and craftsmanship of classic leather golf shoes and made them comfortable right out of the box. Something that looks timeless, yet has no break-in period and easy to walk 18 holes of golf in. This eventually transitioned into a full line of both men’s and women’s apparel you find today under the G/Fore brand.
With respect to their apparel, G/Fore designs their selections from the fashion industry rather than just the golf apparel space. As such, G/Fore believes they are a couple years ahead of the curve in the golf industry from a fashion sense. They describe their cuts as American tailored. I found that description to be very accurate in our first look at G/Fore apparel. The fit true to size, and while worn, will appear as though you had them tailored to fit based on the size you would traditionally wear.
G/Fore only has one professional on their staff in Bubba Watson. The others are not paid to endorse their product, Phil Mickelson, Brand Snedeker, Kelly Kraft, Chez Reavie, as well as some others on the European Tour. It’s a true testament to the comfort and tour level performance found in G/Fore shoes.
G/Fore believes they are separated from other brand in the industry in the overall premium quality of their selections. Materials and sourcing is described as the best in the business. The small details put into the products are well thought out by Moss, from the finishing, to the labeling, to the hang tags and G/Fore placement.
Distribution for G/Fore remains very tight and selective. The best place to find and purchase their apparel is directly through their website at gfore.com. Outside of that, you’ll find G/Fore in the top private and green grass golf resorts around the country.
1 on 1 Stripe Polo (Onyx)
Stretch 5-Pocket Pants (Onyx)
The Mid (Grey)
G4 Disruptor Shoes (Snow)
Striped Rib Polo (Wisteria)
Camo Skulls 1/4 Zip (Onyx)
Effortless Skort (Snow)
Cap Toe Gallivanter Shoes (Snow)
The Collection Golf Gloves
In January of this year, G/Fore was acquired by the straight-laced elegance of Peter Millar. It’s a partnership that will continue to compliment one another in different ways. Both premium brands in the space, one classic, and the other disruptive. Neither cut corners and have a high-end reputation in golf shops.
G/Fore is definitely a standout in the golf space. They aren’t for everyone, but I think they understand that. They are doing things their way. “We live by disruptive luxury and fashion with an edge.” -Casey Hoch, Manager of Sales for G/Fore. They really think through how the brand is represented from their website, marketing, Instagram account and advertisements in the Golfer’s Journal. They don’t want to look or feel like anything else in golf. It’s a great energy for golf and they feel they are the right brand at the right time.
In many ways, G/Fore is a brand that is first identified by their style rather than their logo. If you are one fairway over, you can recognize the brand without seeing the tag. It doesn’t knock you out or hit you in the face, it’s in a good way. In an iconic golf way. What’s next for G/Fore? Hoch replied, “I think you’ll see some things from us that golf brands wouldn’t do, or couldn’t do.”
