As sports become an intricable part of daily life, people advocate for incorporating comfortable and functional clothing into their routines, creating a modern athleisure style that blurs the line between sports and fashion. Golf apparel brand ASHWORTH is also striving for innovation by infusing fashion elements into its designs. This time, they have collaborated with renowned local fashion designer Mountain Yam to launch a joint series that combines style and functionality in golf attire. Using this year's CENTRESTAGE emerging designers as a platform, they aim to showcase extraordinary designs where form meets function, evolving from traditional golf wear to today's innovative and trendsetting creations.

How did this opportunity come about? Can you share the collaboration process and the collection’s specialties with us?

In 2019, YGM acquired ASHWORTH and became the brand’s global owner, marking a significant milestone in the golf apparel industry worldwide. YGM is committed to expanding the ASHWORTH brand, and endeavours to promote ASHWORTH to new audiences around the world. ASHWORTH particularly focuses on Asian golf fashion, and with this came the opportunity for the brand to specially invite young renowned Hong Kong designer Mountain Yam for a collaboration, creating the ASHWORTH x Mountain Yam collection. With ASHWORTH being a leading international golf fashion brand, and Mountain Yam being a multifaceted fashion designer, this collaboration was full of dynamism and inspiration. Through this collaboration, a creative spark will be ignited which will breathe new life into the golf apparel industry.

The ASHWORTH x Mountain Yam collection is inspired by “Evolution”: it showcases the evolution of golf apparel from traditional jerseys to today’s trendsetting and innovative designs. ASHWORTH’s iconic Golfman icon is ingeniously transformed into dynamic, playful and linear patterns. The collection features bold colour palettes and tailoring, which allows for multi-layered interpretations of golfing concepts in the clothing; some of the pieces incorporate street-style elements, creating the most cutting edge in athleisure.

ASHWORTH was founded in California by John Ashworth in 1987, and it quickly became a leading golf apparel brand. In 1992, Fred Couples, wearing ASHWORTH, won the US Masters and the Green Jacket, establishing his status as the world’s number one golfer at the time. Today, ASHWORTH has become an international golf apparel brand loved by professional golfers and golf enthusiasts alike. This fashion show is a trip back in time, in order for audiences to witness how ASHWORTH has become an important international brand, and how it strives to innovate and lead the way in golf fashion.

As a leading sportswear brand, how does Ashworth keep up with market developments through the creation of new products and collaborations?

Through strategic acquisitions and continuous expansion, ASHWORTH now has over five hundred retail destinations in the US, UK, Hong Kong, Mainland China, Taiwan and Korea. We noticed the popularity of golf in Asia, and have recognised the potential of the market for a long time. Therefore, we developed new products suitable for golf lovers of different regions, noting their preferences and habits, as well as local fashion trends and cultural characteristics. For example, the ASHWORTH Korean Studio’s capsule series and the ASHWORTH x Mountain Yam collection are designed to satisfy market developments, as well as establish trust and popularity of the brand among golf aficionados. Of course, our vision doesn’t stop there: ASHWORTH will further expand its business to Europe and Australia, attracting a wider audience in the global market.

What does “Athleisure” mean to you, and how is it different from ordinary sportswear?

In recent years, various types of sports have become increasingly popular and more integrated into daily life. Sportswear no longer serves the sole purpose of being worn on the sports field; therefore, unlike sportswear that only focuses on functionality, athleisure has a greater pursuit of comfort; at the same time, it’s very much linked to fashion.

For example, because golf is becoming part of a sophisticated lifestyle, golf apparel must not only strive towards functionality, but also meet the increasing demands with regards to tailoring, aesthetics, and fashionable elements. ASHWORTH’s innovative elements keep up with the latest trends, and incorporate functionality in order to boost the golfer’s experience, ensuring that the golfer can rely on the apparel’s comfort and capabilities on the course.

ASHWORTH focuses on quality, innovation and sustainability; not only does this appeal to the professional golfer, but it has also attracted wider audiences, fulfilling expectations of comfort and convenience, as well as being stylish.

How have you conveyed a sense of fashionable modernity in your designs?

When it comes to modern design concepts, one will definitely consider the combination of artificial intelligence (AI) and fashion. AI technology is becoming increasingly popular, making waves in and ultimately revolutionising the fashion industry with its creativity. We believe that by combining technology with fashion, craftsmanship can be enhanced, and provide more choice for designers.

ASHWORTH has utilised “AI-Based Interactive Design Assistant for Fashion” (AiDA) technology in designing its latest collection, creating unique prints which showcase fashionable modern aesthetics. AiDA is the world’s first AI system to use the designer’s creative vision as inspiration. We uploaded all of ASHWORTH’s logo materials onto AiDA, and inputted details regarding the collection’s concept and colour palette. The designs generated by AiDA have maintained the brand’s philosophy of striking a good balance between technology and fashionable craftsmanship. It’s helped designers create boundary-breaking prints, effectively blending fashion with modern aesthetics.

How have you balanced functionality and aesthetics during the design process?

ASHWORTH’s apparel is created with functionality, quality and design elements at its core. The collection is made from the highest quality fabrics selected from renowned manufacturers in Switzerland, Japan and Korea, providing top-tier breathability, sweat and moisture absorption, UV protection, and wind and water resistance, helping athletes perform their best. Brand elements are tailor-made on these fabrics, giving our pieces a unique charm.

Considering different body shapes and ranges of movement, apart from utilising flexible material with full ranges of extension, ASHWORTH also put painstaking effort into the design process to create a cut which best suits golfer’s needs. This ensures comfort and a good fit, along with fashionability; this emphasises the beauty of the human body when doing sport, creating amazing visual effects.

How do you think athleisure will develop in the future; what kinds of new trends will there be?

Let’s take golf as an example: increasing numbers of artists and young celebrities are sharing themselves playing golf on social media. It seems that golf isn’t a sport for the older affluent generation anymore, and athleisure is also following this trend in becoming more everyday.

In the late 90s and early 21st century, Fred Couples and other Hall of Fame golfers achieved amazing success. Today, we are moving towards a new generation of professional golfers. In addition to the familiar new generation of Hong Kong athletes such as Siobhán Haughey and Cheung Ka-long, professional golfers such as Taichi Kho have achieved great results in large-scale tournaments in recent years. ASHWORTH has long recognised this trend, and endeavours to nurture young golfers. The brand has been sponsoring the Golf Association of Hong Kong, China (GAHKC) as well as its representative team for many years; we believe that athleisure will ride the wave of the trend popularising the professionalisation of sport.