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Walking into Oracle Arena’s north entrance, Andre Iguodala is dressed to the nines.

From his blue Isaia jacket to his tailored Ralph Lauren Purple Label shirt and pants, every garment is conceived to his liking as he walks along the yellow carpet leading to the locker room.

The visual — part of a longtime synergy between athletes/entertainers and brands — begs the question: If Iguodala, the 14-year veteran, gets to look good out of the deal, what’s the ultimate benefit to the designer?

Since the 1980s, NBA players have been essential to the growth of companies. A 1997 study from Southern Illinois found that Michael Jordan’s return from baseball in 1995 increased the market value of the products he endorsed by a combined $1 billion. More recently, shoe giant Under Armour saw its stock rise 20 percent after Stephen Curry debuted his “Curry 4” sneaker during game 1 of the 2017 NBA Finals.



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Adding to the appeal of Curry, the Warriors are among the most popular teams in the NBA, boasting more than 12 million followers combined on Twitter and Instagram. The team’s two championships in three years, coupled with 31 national television appearances provide the exposure designers drool over.

The short answer to the big question: Getting their threads on the right people is where designer championships are won.

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From his downtown Los Angeles office, clothing designer Daniel Patrick is an example of what can be built with the help of celebrity endorsements.

His first placement came when Grammy Award-winning singer Usher purchased a jacket from a store Patrick was selling out of in Los Angeles.

“That was pretty big for me,” Patrick remembers. “I was a really big Usher fan growing up. For me was an indication that I could make it.”

Patrick’s journey to outfitting athletes, however, was a more organic incarnation. Born in Australia, he grew up idolizing NBA stars like Jordan, while participating on youth rugby teams as a kid. When rugby didn’t become a career path, he turned to fashion, opening a flagship store in the Melrose District of Los Angeles with his wife. Start your day with the news you need from the Bay Area and beyond.

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In 2015, Draymond Green, with the help of Green’s stylist Vick Michel, began wearing the Daniel Patrick during the 2015 playoffs — and the brand’s exposure immediately jumped.

“It definitely gets more eyes on the product,” Patrick acknowledges. “Other guys take notice in the NBA and then we start getting more and more players.”

In addition to Green, Patrick’s brand has been seen on NBA stars like Karl Anthony Towns, Jimmy Butler, and Dwight Howard. The brand has even crossed sporting leagues as Steelers wide receiver Antonio Brown is a disciple.

The initial exchange of items from the fashion houses to the athletes can happen in a variety of ways.

A player can take out a large order with a particular brand through their stylist at the beginning of a season. The fashion house can reach out to a player’s stylist through a prior relationship, or even through social media platforms such as Instagram, which provide stylists and players alike an opportunity to see the latest merchandise firsthand.

The quest to get clothes on athletes can be a treacherous one for smaller boutiques. While players and their stylists flock to designers like Patrick for product, smaller designers are forced to more extreme measures to get their brand seen. In addition to using social media, some send free product to the players in hopes to get a placement.

“I get calls every day,” says Dexter Robinson, a New York-based stylist, who’s worked with NFL stars like Seattle Seahawks safety Kam Chancellor, Buffalo Bills quarterback Tyrod Taylor, and Raiders linebacker Khalil Mack. “They’ll start at the top and they’ll hit up the players, then people are starting to see that doesn’t work, so now I need to hit his wife, I need to hit someone close to him in order for this to work.”

But some athletes are harder to crack than others; style is a personal thing.

“I don’t accept the packages,” Iguodala said. “It’s a simple process for me. I pretty much know what I like, what I don’t.”

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Oakland based-designer Victor Sandifer knows the journey of the up and comer.

His brand, Run The World, has enjoyed a prominent buzz around the East Bay. Still, Sandifer goes to great lengths to make sure his line his seen by the right people. In addition to hosting events around Oakland to promote his line, Sandifer also uses a more forward style of marketing.

“I’ve done stuff like figure out a famous person that I want to wear my clothes, Go to an event that I know they’re going be and figure out a way to get the product to in their hands.”

His strategy was on full display in November when Sandifer traveled to Long Beach, where Grammy-Award winning rapper Andre 3000 was speaking on a panel at ComplexCon. Upon arrival to the Long Beach Convention Center, Sandifer positioned himself towards 3000’s exit route off the stage. As the artist came by, Sandifer handed him a custom tote bag full of RTW goodies.

Sandifer’s plan worked, as 3000 was seen around the convention with the bag, offering the exposure Sandifer was hoping for when he engineered the plan.

Other designers haven’t been as lucky, as some “care packages” sent to the Warriors squad have been too off the wall to even consider.

Young, the team’s most contemporary dresser, is known for wearing the latest streetwear brands like Supreme, A Bathing Ape — in addition to his own brand, Most Hated Player.

His quest for style superiority has sent him to front row of fashion shows all over the world, including Italy for Milan’s Fashion Week in 2014. In 2015, Complex named Young among the NBA’s Most Stylish Players.

“Nick is the best dressed on the team,” says Robinson. “Nick cares about fashion more than the average player.”

Young’s propensity to wear a myriad of brands gives up-and-coming boutiques the green light to send him clothes.

But what a player receives isn’t always going to make it onto their person, such as the package waiting for Young that contained shirts depicting a cup of promethazine cough syrup mixed with soda, otherwise known as “lean” or “purple drank.”

“That was crazy,” said Young. “They really thought I was gonna wear something like that.”

For most of the Warriors, however, the decision on clothes has less to do with labels, and more to do with feel.

“I just wear what I like,” Green said. “It can be expensive, it can cost 20 bucks, if I like it, I’m going to wear it.”

“I would prefer something that doesn’t have a logo on it or is not as flashy,” added Iguodala. “It’s pretty simple for me. I’m more of an understated type of guy.”

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Giannis Antetokounmpo wins second MVP award; Is an NBA title with Warriors next? No matter the player’s taste level, for designers as big as Patrick and up-and-comers like Sandifer, the goal remains the same.

“Getting the right person to wear it,” Sandifer proclaims. The right person to be placed in the right place for the right people to see it.”

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