Is J.Lindeberg's Latest Drop for Hiking or Golf? It's for Both.

The golf style landscape has been evolving (and booming) for some time, with streetwear giants, mall brands, and heritage brands all getting in on the act. The next niche genre coming for golf? The outdoors. Over the past few seasons, more and more brands are embracing golf’s intrinsic link to nature and finding themselves a seat on the gorpcore bandwagon.

Hiking and golf are kindred spirits and yet, to this point, the two activities have been considered worlds apart. But that doesn’t need to be the case. They both take place in the great outdoors, they both involve a lot of walking, and they both straddle the line between leisure activity and high-performance pursuit. Golf culture and outdoor culture share enough throughlines that it makes perfect sense for brands to crossover within the two respective zeitgeists. I, for one, couldn’t be happier to see some of my favorite crunchy clothes on the golf course.

Images courtesy of the brand

The latest brand to find a seat on the wagon is J.Lindeberg. The brand’s apparel has always skewed countercultural, with bold logos and designs that stand out next to more traditional golf apparel. So it makes perfect sense that it dropped an entire lineup of gear that could just as easily be seen on the side of a mountain as on the first tee.

The Outdoor Collection, also dubbed the “Pro Pack,” is chock full of crispy performance gear made with quick-drying nylons, anti-microbial merino wool, and accessories that are built to withstand much more treacherous conditions than you’ll find on a golf course. This might not sound very golfy, but if you put the collection up next to the latest from Manors or Devereux, you’ll see that it’s right on the money.

Not only does the collection have outdoor pedigree, the current fashion landscape gives it cache in the city, too. Take a quick jaunt through SoHo in Manhattan or in LA’s Silver Lake and you’ll see stylish folks dressed up like they’re headed to the trails with nary a mountain in sight. For J.Lindeberg’s CCO Neil Lewty, this is exactly the point.

“This is about the lifestyle around golf as much as the game itself,” Lewty says. “Pro Pack is ideal for people who live between city streets and rolling fairways — who expect their clothes to move with them, work hard, and still look sharp.”

Maybe I’m just living within a tiny corner of the fashion universe, but I think more and more golfers are getting excited about the idea of wearing functional performance apparel that doesn’t fit the traditional golf mold. The fact that actual golf brands are getting in on the action proves that this is much bigger than my own style proclivities. May this be the next of many hiking-inspired golf drops.

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