FORE PLAY

Macklemore’s Golf Line Bogey Boys Makes Us Want to Hit the Fairway

“Shout out to all the dudes that sell insurance,” Macklemore says, “But I just don't want to dress like you guys.”

By Zoe Sayler September 17, 2021

Single-handedly making golf cool again.

Macklemore’s bringing his golf brand, Bogey Boys, to Capitol Hill for a flagship popup of indeterminate length (complete with a 1,500-square-foot putting range). But this brick-and-mortar debut is about way more than golf.

First of all, Bogey Boys only occupies the top floor of the enormous former Totokaelo space. Downstairs, the Seattle-raised rapper turned Pebble Beach Celebrity Shoot Out winner pays homage to his love of the find with Goose Magee's Vintage Mall, where shoppers will find their favorite vendors from around the city—including In the Comfort Of (a mainstay at Epic Antique, which, by the way, is there too), Throwbacks NW (where your coolest friend got their coolest old-school jersey), and Barn Owl Vintage (Ballard’s most fashionable speakeasy). Macklemore's cleaning out his garage and bringing some of his personal collection, too.

But the fairway-averse should venture upstairs anyway. If not for the ball markers, head covers, and unusual wealth of polo shirts, Bogey Boys could pass for a 70s-inspired streetwear brand. And a very cool one at that. Because golfers like Chi-Chi Rodríguez and Lee Trevino used to dress like “the athletic male version of a Cadillac in 1976,” per Macklemore, who pored over old issues of Golf Digest for design ideas. That inspiration is evident throughout Bogey Boys’ latest collection, from the fully plaid outfit to the baby blue pleated pants. “I loved golf clothes when I hated the game of golf,” Macklemore says. “I was like, that game is trash, but those dudes dress fire.” 

Which is how the "Thrift Shop" rapper hoped to dress when he fell in love with the game, only to discover that current golf fashion was a little less 1980s stepdad and a little more insurance salesman: “Shout out to all the dudes that sell insurance,” he says, “But I just don't want to dress like you guys.” 

So he took matters into his own hands. This isn’t one of those celebrity clothing lines that slaps a recognizable name on the tag and calls it a day. Macklemore says he has “too much” of a hand in the design process, working with a Los Angeles designer, the Procreate app, and his iPad (turns out the guy can draw) to bring the vintage pieces he loves into 2021. “When I started, I had no idea that it was going to be this much time and energy,” he says, “But I love it. I love it.”

And if you really want to emulate Macklemore? His favorite Bogey Boys pieces right now, if pressed, are cherry print (including what may be the world’s most fashionable polo). But he’s genuinely proud of Bogey Boys in its entirety: “It’s kind of like, do you have a favorite kid? ... I do have a favorite kid. But it depends on the day.” 

Share
Show Comments