when i read garfene grandison’s article on asafa powell’s new tees and shorts i was intrigued. yeah, something pulled me in. asafa powell creating a clothing line could be a good idea, because, for the most part people like his style and he has a large fan base. if you’ve been living under a bush, there is a strategic plan on the athlete’s part to create a brand around the life and persona of asafa powell. he has a new website, he has a contract with jamaica observer etc. one such idea is to create a clothing line, which they’ve created.
i am not going to make this post a long diatribe but i will make the point i am disappointed in this strategic move.
asafa powell in my opinion is not a washed up celebrity or hurry-come-up personality. he is asafa powell – the sub ten king or whoever u make him to be. he has worked hard and deserves everything he has. does asafa know what he wants? for the sub ten king to come out with copy and paste designs does not present a clothing line. instead, he is a cafe press retailer/supplier – a website that offers pre-designed products. i am shocked! for members of his team to suggest cafe press and own a cafe press website branded with his name means as jamaicans would say ‘him a try a ting.’
i know people will read this and call me a hater – join the line. i am looking at this from a marketing/branding position and they have cheapened his brand with this move.
from the article
imagine you are on asafa’s team and he says “guys, i’m really interested in starting a clothing line, it’s one of my dreams.” you shouldn’t suggest starting a cafe press line or lead him in that direction. according to many websites and published locally in the star asafa powell has a net worth of JMD $577 million dollars (US $6.5 million dollars). instead, you should suggest partnering with a local/caribbean/international designer to create a line and ensure he has creative input. that’s the right way to do it.
Shop here and here for asafa’s designs
i really hope they delete the website and do it right. we have incredible design talent in jamaica (if we are thinking small project, local) who would love to partner with powell on a clothing line.
sigh, get the hottest designs from the clothing line
this i would wear to dance.
What’s your take?
I’ve been saying Asafa needs a clothing line for over a year now, because he has exceptional style, women adore him and men respect him. What I did not anticipate was that he would have gone the watered down T-shirt route, it seems too commercial and desperate. Will he really have control over these screen printed designs that are feauturing a sport that he’s no longer the star of?
Furthermore, who is he targeting with these t-shirts? Tourists? They all want Usain Bolt with his signature pose now, or iconic Bob; and he certainly won’t gain support from locals who generally prefer t-shirts with patriotism or humorous dialect.
I hoped that Asafa held out and launched his own high fashion collection featuring men’s fashions, a genre in Jamaican fashion that is not over saturated. Also, he should then keep his collection tight and not all over the place catering to pregnant women and babies as it now is. What is the saying? Don’t spread yourself too thin.
It’s not too late for him to fix these problems, regroup and restrategize. I still love him to pieces but I had to be honest.
I was going to do a post on this topic, but I think i’ve said it all here. Lol Great blog post and great article by Garfene!
Thank you Natalia.
You said it best. I will not add anything.