It's been awesome following Kikkor Golf since the beginning and I can remember the first time speaking to owner James Lepp. Hearing the passion in his voice for what he was doing with golf shoes, a true pioneer of the street style look. You knew there were good things going to happen for James and his company.
Wanted to touch base with James early in the year and ask him a few questions on the future, the creative process and the PGA Merchandise Show. Here's what he had to say:
Q&A With Kikkor Golf's James Lepp
Where do you get inspiration for your new designs?
To be frank, we look everywhere but the golf industry. The golf industry is typically a little 'slow' with fashion trends, so we try to stay ahead of that by looking at trends off the course.
Are there any golfers do you look to for inspiration?
I find that while golf fashion is much better than 10 years ago, still today many golfers look the same. Dress code policies, both on the PGA Tour and at many clubs, force people to look the same. Afterall, there are only so many things you can do to a golf polo. So really, it's tough to look at any golfer for inspiration, because the dress codes force things to be not very inspiring.
What do you love about the creative process?
It's fun seeing samples for the first time. It's easy to make something look good on a computer, but when it turns out in real life...well, that's exciting.
How do you keep it fresh with so many companies competing for the shoe/apparel dollar?
Trends are always changing, so it's up to us to stay on top of that. Yes, competition is always stiff, but there are enough people out there that want to support the smaller niche brands like ourselves. I personally don't like wearing major brands that much when I have the opportunity to wear something really fashionable.
What can we expect for 2015?
We're going to be exploring a lot more casual gear, not necessarily meant for golf. It'll be the same mentality, but give our customers more chances to wear Kikkor during their day.
Why no Kikkor presence at the Merchandise Show this year in Orlando?
We should have a major announcement later this year as to why the PGA Show doesn't really make sense for us any more.
Hows your golf game?
Well, it's hockey season, so I haven't golfed since October. The game on skates is solid. Snap shot could use some work. Saucer pass is always money.
One course you'd like to play this year?
Chambers Bay.
Any plans for some more TV exposure for yourself?
Nothing planned so far. Maybe some YouTube stuff...we'll see.
No comments:
Post a Comment