From Golf Shoes To Apparel, TRUE Linkswear Is Expanding From Ground Up

TRUE linkswear established a foothold in golf with its modern, walking-focused footwear. Now, the trailblazing Pacific Northwest brand is expanding quite literally from the ground up, introducing an apparel line that started with pants, moved to joggers and will soon extend to outerwear and polos.

For the team at TRUE, apparel development was long part of the plan, but it wasn’t until about five years ago that serious discussions began about making it a reality. And once the decision was made to pursue apparel as well as shoes, the company spent several years testing, iterating and working through the process before pulling the trigger on a head-to-toe collection.

“Countless years of development, several trips around the world and plenty of on-course research and development have led to our long-awaited, tried and TRUE Apparel Collection,” said TRUE CEO Jason Moore, who runs the business with his brother, PGA TOUR player Ryan Moore.

TRUE started off with bottoms late last year, introducing two styles of All Day Pants, and is now adding joggers and a hybrid jogger style made of a soft, durable and midweight nylon/Spandex blend. With a new golf season about to get into full swing, TRUE is also preparing to expand further with the launch of polos and layering tops, and then t-shirts, crew necks, hoodies and quarter zips.

“We previewed these at the PGA show last month, and the response was amazing,” said TRUE Apparel Design Director Spencer Goetz, adding that he feels the market is currently underserved when it comes to premium apparel essentials that have a functional approach.

“So many brands compete to stand out with crazy prints and loud colors, but ironically, it’s all starting to look the same. On the other hand, a couple of athleisure brands are making styles that cross over into golf, but they lack a real connection to the sport. Golf is in our DNA, so we’re creating minimalist pieces that are amazing to play in but can cross over into everyday life at the office, at home, traveling, etcetera.”

While footwear has been TRUE’s identity to this point, the company anticipates apparel could make up about 20% of its overall business this year. Goetz says the initial response to the apparel launch has been better than expected, forcing TRUE to accelerate development plans and adjust rest-of-year outlooks to meet demand.

“I would say we underestimated our customers’ enthusiasm and the number of new customers we’re attracting with the addition of apparel,” Goetz said.

As with the five core designs of its shoes, TRUE aims to provide comfort-first products that perform on the golf course, but can also be worn all day away from the links.

“Golf is life for many people, but a lot happens between rounds, and we want to be there with our customers on that journey,” Goetz said. He suggests that TRUE’s home in the Pacific Northwest gives the company an advantage by experiencing a range of seasons and weather conditions.

“This gives us much more perspective when we approach our products based on that unique experience,” Goetz said. “That has led us to perfect waterproofing and understanding what people need to stay comfortable in intermittent climates. It’s a great way to test our products and scratch our own itch.

If it works up here, it will work just about anywhere in the world.”