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Sligo Wear

Click to visit Sligo Wear Inc. Designers of Trendy Golf Fashion.

The List

Check out The List to find out what brand(s) your favorite players are wearing.

(Latest update -- July 12, 2011)

PGATour.com

Chapeau Noir contributes to PGATour.com under the pseudonym "The Man In The Black Hat".

Check out the Black Hat PGATour.com column archive.

Watson on his fun on-course style

December 21, 2011 -- With the 2012 PGA TOUR season just weeks away, the Man In The Black Hat thought it to be a good time to bring the fashion file up to date, starting with an examination of the style exploits of Bubba Watson.

 Martin / Getty

Canadian dispatch: Host country boasts hopefuls in RBC Canadian Open

July 21, 2011 -- With the PGA TOUR in Canada this week for the RBC Canadian Open, PGATOUR.COM decided to ask its Canadian correspondent, the Man In The Black Hat (that's me, aka Chapeau Noir), to give us his take on the state of golf in his home country (for realz!).

Badz / PGA Tour

What Ashworth has in the works

July 13, 2011 -- Just when you thought it was safe to sneak in a quick nine in that tattoo-inspired 'polo' shirt, The Man In The Black Hat returns from hibernation this week to bring you a much needed TOUR style update. Since our last update in April, additional evidence of the importance golf fashion plays on the PGA TOUR has come to light.

Carr/Getty

Hybrid golf shoe solutions gain traction

April 13, 2011 -- One of the earliest references to a spiked golf shoe was published in 1857 in the Scottish periodical 'The Golfer's Manual'. The manual simply advised those new to the game to "wear stout shoes roughed with small nails or sprigs to walk safely over slippery ground." Concerns over the quality of putting surfaces resulting from shoe "sprigs" soon followed.

How/Getty

Poulter details big plans for clothing company

March 22, 2011 -- If you sit back in your club chair and put your feet up on that ottoman for a moment to think about it, golf pretty much stands alone in allowing players to demonstrate their personal style to a level that can't be matched by athletes in team sports.

Franklin/Getty

Is what's good for Bill Murray good for you?

February 17, 2011 -- Everybody loves Bill Murray, and why not? He's personable, and of course he's funny, and perhaps more importantly for most of us, he lives up to every expectation we have of the man who brought us the superintendent stylings of one Carl Spackler in Caddyshack.

Franklin/Getty Images

Giveaways, shoe trends and more

February 2, 2011 -- Just when you thought it was safe to go back to the golf course, wearing those double-pleated khakis and that oversized mercerized cotton polo that you received for participating in that corporate outing in 1998, the Man In The Black Hat is back for 2011.

Caryn Levy/PGA TOUR

Lorne Rubenstein

Globe and Mail golf columnist and author of no less than 11 golf books, Lorne Rubenstein had this to say about chapeaunoirgolf.com...

Lorne Rubenstein"Nowadays many players know exactly what they'll be wearing each day of the tournament. One interesting website tracks their outfits and the planning that goes into the selection. Chapeaunoirgolf.com, meant to enhance your reading and viewing pleasure. Spend a few minutes with this website, and soon you will be planning your own outfits for the coming season."

-- Lorne Rubenstein, April 5, 2011

ClubLink Life

According to ClubLink Life, "He’s haberdashery’s answer to David Feherty...or maybe not. he’s definitely patriotic! Meet Mike McAllister."

Winter 2010: A golf clotheshorse's guide to the modern art of self-gifting

At this time of year, holiday truisms are trotted out for your consideration more often than your aunt’s dry-as-dust fruitcake. When it comes to gift giving, among the most popular is the adage that “it is always better to give than to receive.”

Bah, humbug.

ClubLink Life | Winter 2010

Fall 2010: Taking The Great Canadian Golf Apparel Challenge

So there i was, standing in front of my closet at just after sunrise on the last Saturday in June, making an uninspired attempt to figure out what to wear.

 ClubLink Life | Fall 2010

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8:47AM

« Striving For Something A Little Different »

Searching the golf blogosphere in search of unique new brands can often prove a difficult task. Many of Chapeau Noir's readers are looking beyond the traditional brands in an effort to wear what reflects their personality.

One such brand that satisfies those who have grown weary of a homogenous look is Bunker Mentality. Chapeau Noir was fortunate to have a virtual chat with Robert Hart, the creative mind behind this UK-based golf apparel company.

The Bunker Mentality Playa Loco Stripe Chapeau Noir: Welcome to chapeaunoirgolf.com! To kick things off, how would you describe your own personal style, both on and off the course?

Robert Hart: Well, I like to wear jeans, t-shirts and trainers every day. I am a passionate about clothing and particularly love graphic t-shirts, I'm an avid collector! I love detail in clothing, not always necessarily 'in your face' branding, but I believe that the little details on clothing transmit a clear message to the customer that we strive to offer something a little different.

As to my on course wear, I don't get much chance, but its Bunker Mentality of course!

CN: With so many golf polos and trousers on the market, what sets Bunker Mentality apart from its competition?

RH: I think we have a strong brand image and ethos which communicates very well. Our style is very contemporary and fashion conscious, we like to make bold statements and we use colour with confidence. We like to have fun and be a little irreverent when possible and our graphic t-shirts allows us to do this. I can't think of any other golf company that does what we do on t-shirts.  We are a lot about details, small touches that create a difference like we have on our Playa (player) shirts. The brand is also very broad in that you can be very smart with our Playa shirt and straight edge trousers for your company golf day, or you can bring out your altered ego and wear a polo, belt and hat all emblazoned with our 'Skull & Cross golf clubs" logo. The choice is there for the individual.

CN: You have a couple of young European professionals representing Bunker Mentality in John Gallagher and Paul Waring. How did you go about choosing the right players for your brand?

RH: Well, they both came to us and they were very enthusiastic about the brand. This is the key factor...they have to believe in what we are doing and they have to want to live the brand. We are going to add to the list for the coming season but the key factor is they have to love the brand and what we do. We get lots of calls from various management companies and I say we are happy to work with any pro that likes what we do and wants to represent what we do.

CN: When bringing your brand across the pond to North America, what made you choose Canada as your launching point?

RH: Well again Canada came to us. Last year we had meetings with three Canadian distributors and we selected Glen Argyle to be our partner as they are a clothing company and have been doing the job in golf clothing for a long time now. Its very important to work with people who understand clothing and brands as well as golf. It does seem Canada is leading the way in North America when it comes to new trends in golf.

CN: While Bunker Mentality has a distinctively youthful vibe, offerings such as your cardigans and jumpers are a tip of the chapeau to golf apparel classics. How do you Bunker Mentality evolving in the future?


RH: By creating future classics and new traditions in golf. We will do this firstly through our clothing and then through other extensions and crucially our internet platform. For our clothing, we will continue to look to the 'high street' for direction and influence and we will use this to continue the golf lifestyle that we have been for a number of years now. Constant product development is a massive focus for us and we will extend into more technical areas over the next few months as well as more accessories.

Finally you use the world youthful which we are because we believe you should live life young what ever your age. It is a state of mind or mentality, but the average age of our customer is a 35-ish guy who doesn't want to dress like his dad or become his dad just yet.

Bunker Mentality Product Review

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