Today's Highlights

• The Golden Bear roars again
• Bell back -- better than ever
• Discovering Zero Restriction

NEWS

Price Index down in United Kingdom

Golfalot.com reports that its Golfalot Price Index falls by 3 percent more in the United Kingdom than in the United States.

Sun Mountain supports Duramed Futures Tour

Sun Mountain becomes the official golf bag and outerwear of the Duramed Futures Tour. As a sponsor, Sun Mountain will outfit the tour's road staff with outerwear and also work with the tour players on golf bags and outerwear.

Holding company adds to golf apparel portfolio

Daymond Willis Holdings Inc. announces the merger of Peter Scott Inc. with Daymond Willis Holdings, manufacturer of Sunderland of Scotland.

FEATURE

The Golden Bear roars again

By Vartan Kupelian
GPA Fashion Correspondent

The new Jack Nicklaus line is all about the man himself, and why wouldn't it be?

Nicklaus is a marketing director's delight. He is an icon and a brand. The name recognition factor doesn't get any bigger in sports.

Add to that the Nicklaus aura, image and reputation as a class act. It's the perfect package and the new team at Jack Nicklaus Apparel -- a division of Hartmarx Sportswear, which is a subsidiary of Hartmarx Corp. -- appreciates what all that means.

Everything about the relaunch of Nicklaus golf apparel, the 2007 summer/fall line, focuses on the man and his achievements as golf's greatest champion.

The line is about his style, his victories, his design business and pulling the concept together is a team led by Eric Prengel, group president of Hartmarx Sportswear, and Becky Ryan, vice-president of sales and marketing. Fiona Chiotellis is director of public relations and marketing.

Legacy 18

The new line features two categories -- the Legacy 18 and the Performance 18. The "18" in the product line names is a reference to the number of professional major championships won by Nicklaus.

The Legacy 18 collection offers the highest quality in pure fiber golf styles, including double-mercerized cotton shirts, 100 percent fine merino knits, 100 percent cashmere sweaters, and goat suede jackets.

"The Legacy 18 is all about Scottish cashmere, double-mercerized … luxury, highest quality," Chiotellis said.

The Performance 18 is a signature fabric that includes wicking and UV protection.

"It is about technical fabrics," Chiotellis said. "Technical fabrics tend to skew younger. Our Performance 18 is seeing it more for the classic consumer; it's not going young.

Performance 18

"What we're highlighting are all kinds of new brand identification features that haven't been present before in Jack Nicklaus products. For instance, we're using the Golden Bear as the logo on the zipper and back yoke of the jacket. You'll see more brand identification."

You'll also see other components with the relaunch.

The color stories for the summer/fall 2007 line are dictated by Nicklaus-designed courses to bring his golf course architecture business into the equation. The natural outdoor contrast of the Country Club of the Rockies inspires a bright lime green and black color story. Soft lake blue and rich navy communicate the tranquility of The Bear's Club in Jupiter, Fla.

Muirfield Village Golf Club, Nicklaus' home course in Dublin, Ohio, is represented by shades of scarlet and grey (for Ohio State University) and sun orange. The fiery color palette representing the Buckeyes, Chiotellis said, is designed "to energize your game."

New hangtags also highlight the brand concept. A hangtag has Nicklaus clutching the Claret Jug after his victory in the 1978 British Open and another has him smiling after hitting a shot.

Chiotellis said there will be "many more developments going forward with this new team.

"We want to communicate what a stylish man Jack Nicklaus is," she said. "He's a great legend, a sports icon and there is a lot of inspiration that can be derived from that."

The company also plans on becoming more active with various initiatives promoting the game.

"We'll be doing events, like Play Golf America, more communications and outreach to our customers and buyers," Chiotellis said. "We'll be reaching out to the Jack Nicklaus Signature courses to carry the Jack Nicklaus product. That's where our big outreach is this year."

The suggested retail prices for the polo-style shirts range from $65 in the Performance line to $75 in the Legacy. Outerwear prices are from $75 to $250. The Legacy 18 sweaters are priced $85 to $125.

For information, call the customer service line at 800-598-0451.