Forget the foam finger. This season’s ultimate NBA accessory is a $1,620 cashmere sweater
If you’re not exactly feeling warm and fuzzy about your favorite NBA team at the start of the 2016-17 season, a soon-to-drop collection by local cashmere label the Elder Statesman might offer a slightly less expensive solution than switching loyalties.
That’s because the brand’s founder, Greg Chait, has signed a licensing deal with the league to put team names and logos on a range of luxurious cashmere sweaters, sweatshirts, hats, T-shirts and scarves set to hit retail on Thursday. Expect things such as purple-and-gold crewneck Los Angeles Lakers sweaters (in home and away color combinations), scarves with wide orange and blue stripes for New York Knicks fans and a black knit cap with a red pom-pom and the word “Bulls” across the front for fans of Chicago’s home team.
The Elder Statesman X NBA warm-and-fuzzies won’t come cheap, though: Prices range from $420 (for a knit beanie) to $1,620 (for a heavy intarsia knit sweater). Sure, that sounds a little steep, especially when six tickets to Friday’s game at Staples could be yours for about the price of a sweater, but we’ll wager they could be a slam-dunk for the well-heeled hoops fans who tend to find themselves courtside more often than not.
The debut collection will be available at Barney New York flagship stores in Beverly Hills, Boston, Chicago, Las Vegas, New York, San Francisco and Seattle, the Elder Statesman’s West Hollywood store and both brands’ e-commerce sites. New products and limited-edition pieces are slated to drop for the holidays, the NBA All-Star game in February and the finals next June.
For more musings on all things fashion and style, follow me @ARTschorn.
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