Golf Retailing Editor Dan Owen caught up with Chris Hobbs, General Manager, Stitch Europe, explains why golfer need to dress their game with the brands range of bags, apparel and accessories.
Who are Stitch Golf?
The whole ethos behind Stitch was a number of individuals who were passionate about golf and wanted to bring a disruptive brand to market. While Stitch started as a headcover company, the modern Stitch Golf was built around our bags. Golfers spend a lot of money on golf, from equipment to memberships and apparel. But often the bags they use are not as considered. We all dress to play golf; we put on smarter outfits for different courses or competitions. Why don’t we dress our game?
Throughout the line, we’ve got subtle styling details inspired by a love of classic racing cars. The Gulf colours pop up in a lot of what we do, as do nods to race car numbering with our headcovers. But to go along with the strong aesthetic, our products are designed with functionality in mind. They can’t just look good; products need a genuine performance benefit. Everything comes down to the last stitch.
How did you get involved with Stitch?
I bought a Stitch golf bag in the States when mine was broken in transit. It stood out because it was different from the other bags. But it was only after living with it that I realised how well designed it was.
Stitch is not just a cool brand producing products that look slightly different from their competitors. Stitch spends an inordinate amount of time on the attention to detail on everything they produce. You only understand how deep they go with all of those finishing details when you’re part of it.
I’m an avid golfer and a businessman. With Stitch, I saw this wonderful brand and fell in love with the product and its potential in Europe.
For example, on our bags, Stitch is embossed on the handrail. We use YKK zippers on everything. We use a proprietary fabric, STITCH Touring Fabric, that has the strength of leather but is more durable, lightweight, and water-resistant. It doesn’t mark. So, I’ve been using my bag all winter and it looks brand new. You can clean it off very easily. But it’s got such a premium feel to it.
Before I got involved with Stitch, a polo shirt was just a polo shirt to me. But every polo shirt has a button and its own collar stay so it holds its shape and sits well under a sweater. We use a heavier yarn weight to help keep the shape of the shirt, and we offer a true tailored fit. Rather than a slim fit, the shirt is cut like a Jermyn Street shirt, higher under the armpits to give a better fit down the body.
When does Stitch come to market?
Right now, as we speak! We’re concentrating on four primary channels. We want to be in the top courses and resorts around the country. Our website has had a soft launch. We will be working with off-course and online retail, and we will also be working on corporate partnerships.
We want to work with retailers who appreciate the brand and who will merchandise the product in the right way to tell our story. At launch, rather than go far and wide, we’d rather build slowly, narrow, and deep with the right partners.
What are your favourite products in the line?
I love the new SL2 Gen 2 stand bag. It comes with a double strap as well as an optional single strap, which seems to be becoming more popular again. The extra magnetic ball pocket on the back I wasn’t sure about until I got it into use; it makes life so much easier. We’ve upgraded to the YKK zippers, which are just a lot smoother.
Stitch offers some very clever travel luggage pieces. The Ultimate Garment bag is incredible. It’s a beautiful duffle bag, made out of the same Stitch Touring Fabric as our golf bags. But then it can unzip and become a clothing hanger. It’s so clever and such a practical use of space.
The MUT (Multi-Use Traveller) is equally clever. A roller duffle for when you need to pack for a few nights, but it converts into a golf club travel cover when you need one. It comes complete with a torsion bar for club protection as well.
We’ve also got the Birdie Bag backpack. It’s a premium backpack with a practical design and a lot of pockets. When you open the inside, it actually has a built-in cool bag that you can take out and use separately. It comes with a protective case to carry laptops that clicks on via magnetic clips inside. It is also designed to stand up at all times; it won’t fall over. I think the luggage showcases just how clever our designers are.
What is the core collection for the European market?
This year, we’ll be launching all of the best-selling products that the US have launched. So, we’ll be launching two bags, one will be the SL2 Gen 2. But we are also launching the SL2 Air Walker. It’s an extremely lightweight nylon bag and comes in at a lower price than the SL2 Gen 2, obviously for the UK market. Hey, it’s a little bit cheaper than the SL2 Gen 2.
It’s important to dress your game, so we will also be launching a selection of head covers that can complement or contrast with their golf bags.
We are bringing in the luggage styles we’ve already spoken about, as well as a selection of polos and sweaters. We will also have a selection of caps and other accessories, including one of my favourites, the glovebox.
Stitch also specialises in personalisation. We use a magnetic ingot in our golf bags and luggage that can be initialled or have a corporate crest added to it. Because they are removable, it makes personalisation a very quick and easy process, as well as being different and more subtle than standard cresting. That said, traditional cresting is also available on our golf bags.
Why did you choose YUMAX as your distribution partner?
YUMAX have a history and experience of distributing market-leading brands in the golf market, and brands that complement but don’t clash with what we are offering. They have a strong network of retailers and relationships throughout the industry. We have finalised the pricing structure for the brand, and we can offer strong margins, as well as small minimum order quantities. Once the product is in front of people, they will see the quality for themselves and it sells itself. The product is at a premium price point, but it offers the consumer tremendous value in the quality of the product.
Why should a retailer stock Stitch?
I’ve got two answers. Number one is we are offering something truly different. No other brand out there allows golfers to dress their whole game so that they look and feel better on the golf course. From the bag to the accessories and apparel, we offer a total solution to looking better on the course.
Two, the quality of the products and the value that they offer. But we’ve not lost sight of the fact that the retailer needs to make money from them as well. No one, in golf or out of it, is making intelligent, well-thought-out luggage like we do, for example. Or makes golf bags out of fabrics as good as we use. Everything we do comes down to the final stitch.
For more information on stocking the latest range from Stitch, email
Info@yumaxgolf.com
