Byrdie Golf Social Wear Banks On Retro Reverence At Wells Fargo Championship

Can you play 18 while decked out in a caddie jumpsuit or a sleeveless tournament dress that can pull double-duty as cocktail party attire? Nascent women’s golf apparel name Byrdie Golf Social Wear, founded by Charlotte based entrepreneurs Rachelle Wates and Hayden Shoffner, bring retro-reverent fashions to the fairway with fun puffed sleeves and Peter Pan collars that have gotten mavens like Vogue to take notice.

Byrdie is one of nine companies invited to Quail Hollow to take part in a small business marketplace during the Wells Fargo Championship, a return golden ticket from the presenting sponsor that put a tailwind behind the brand when the teed up their looks in Maryland where the tourney was staged last year.

“We were fortunate enough to be part of the Wells Fargo Championship at TPC Potomac last year which was incredible and we still are feeling the buzz from that. Since this is our hometown, I think it’s going to be even bigger and better this year. It’s a really big opportunity for us this early in the game,” Wates, who played college golf for UNC-Greensboro, says.

Before founding Byrdie, Wates worked as a buyer for Capital Clothing for seven years while Shoffner served as a director of product development at resort wear brand Coco Shop. Both have an extensive golf history having played the game since they were kids, often tagging along in carts with their grandmothers whose scratch wardrobe and impeccable style was always on par with their birdie-holing prowess.

What Wates remembers most about the rounds she played with her grandmother Lena while growing up at High Meadows Golf and Country Club in Roaring Gap, North Carolina is that the socializing between girlfriends and family continued long after round itself was in the books.

“It was about community and friendship and that 19^th hole atmosphere that she wanted to get dressed up for—not just for on the course but for what was happening afterward,” relates Wates, whose tastemaker gran also set her up on her first date with her future husband, explains.

The design process of every collection to date has begun by sifting through boxes of old family photos, identifying style statements that are ripe for a renaissance and then the work begins adding contemporary touches to a throwback look.

“From there we’ll sketch it out and put together prints and patterns. We’ve tried to hone in on a vintage piece and then grow it from there,” Wates says.

While Byrdie is composed of a small and nimble team that wear multiple hats, the duo concentrates on their individual strengths. Shoffner spearheads production from start to finish along with pulling the company’s social media strings while Wates takes the lead on business development and handling wholesale accounts and events.

Primarily a direct-to-consumer brand, in the past few months Byrdie has been broadening its distribution into retail outlets including St. Bernard in Dallas and boutiques in Naples and Palm Beach.

When they setup at a pop-up event or a Ladies member-guest at a golf coure, the primary pushback they tend to get is that their clothes may be ‘too cute’ to play in and it’s a mindset they are happy to dispel.

“Women are so trained. You have your skort, you have your polo—whether its sleeveless, short sleeve or long sleeve—but when they see that caddie jumpsuit hanging on the rack they say ‘you can’t wear that playing golf.’

Wates and Shoffner can dispel that notion as they field test garments before they get greenlit—playing a round in a sample of everything they produce. Byrdie relishes the challenge to educate golfers that they can try out other silhouettes, walk the course and swing easy in them and wear these pieces even though they don’t look like your traditional golf clothes.

That education piece often extends to dealings with wholesale gatekeepers. Because of Wates’ prior work experience in the field, she thought this part would be a cake walk but she was primarily used to working with women who spoke the same language and pro shops and the other buyers in the golf space tend to be dominated by older men.

“A big hurdle that we’ve had to get over was trying to educate these pros, who are also the buyers, what the future of women’s golf and women’s golf clothing in particular looks like,” Wates explains.

What may instantly resonate with men of a certain age though is Byrdie’s umbrella logo. Turns out the homage to Arnold Palmer was coincidental. They wanted something all-encompassing to highlight the golf-and-beyond aspect of their clothes that work just as well on a pickle ball court or on a picnic.

“Men can wake up, go to breakfast, go to a board meeting and then go play a round of golf all in a Peter Millar outfit. That’s what we are trying to emulate. I hear all too often, ‘I couldn’t stop by because I had to go home and change out of my golf clothes’ and you miss out on so much when you don’t feel comfortable,” Wates explains, adding that with Byrdie, women can choose to keep the dress on, simply swap out their footwear and be ready to go for whatever they got going on next.

The company see accessories as a growth driver, leaning into collabs with more established brands to piggyback off their audience. Byrdie partnered with Lorna Murray and J. Lowery on hats and handbags respectively, and have a couple pairs of golf shoes dropping in early July thanks to a team-up with Cole Haan. Looking ahead to 2024, Byrdie will exhibit at the PGA Merchandise show in Orlando, the golf industry’s premiere trade show, for the first time.