Sustainable performance apparel brand Reflo has launched The Living Links, its second consecutive officially licensed collection for The Open Championship.
Following the sell-out success of last year’s Giants Capsule at Royal Portrush, the new range is built around the 154th Open Championship, which is being held at Royal Birkdale Golf Club during the week of July 12-19.
Where last year’s collection drew on the myth of Finn McCool, the legendary giant said to have shaped the Northern Irish coastline, The Living Links takes its identity directly from Royal Birkdale itself. Sitting within a Site of Special Scientific Interest on the Sefton Coast, the course and its surrounding dune system have hosted ten Open Championships since 1954, with champions including Peter Thomson, Tom Watson and, most recently, Jordan Spieth in 2017.
Rory Macfadyen, founder of Reflo, said: “Last year a legend walked the land. This year the land is the legend. Finn McCool was the giant of Portrush, a myth that felt right for that place. But when we got to Birkdale, we realised the course didn’t need a story. It already was one.”
The 12-piece collection translates that landscape into product: graphic patterns echo the contours of the dunes and the rolling terrain of the fairways. A Stonechat emblem, inspired by the bird that nests in the gorse lining the course, runs through the range as its signature mark, and the hoodie typography takes its cue from the carpet in Royal Birkdale’s Art Deco clubhouse. Every piece is made from recycled materials and individually numbered; once a number is gone, that piece will not be made again.
Ben Stoney, Reflo’s Marketing Director, added: “Our product team have captured the heart and soul of the Royal Birkdale environment by translating the R&A’s ecology study into the collection. The Stonechat, Natterjack Toad and landscape materials make up the colour palette and characters on every piece. To complete the storyline, the range falls into the Reflo Reloop programme where a responsible second life can be found for every item sold.”
The collection treats Royal Birkdale’s ecosystem, its shifting dunes, punishing rough and coastal wind, as the central character of the campaign. Content supporting the launch was shot on location at dusk across the course, and the Sefton Coast dunes.
Matt Tomlinson, Head of Retail, Merchandise & Licensing at The R&A, added: “Our second year with Reflo as an Official Licensee of The Open is a very exciting one. Our natural desire to tell stories though merchandise have helped us create an incredibly exciting, limited-edition collection for our fans this summer.
“The Living Links capsule brings to life the elements of the links, which help provide the ultimate test for our golfers. It has been great fun working with the team at Reflo and I am excited to see the reaction to the product over the coming weeks at both the Open at Royal Birkdale and more globally through e-commerce.”
The Living Links collection is available now at reflo.com, with stock also distributed through The Open’s official retail channels with Fanatics during Open week at Royal Birkdale and retail partner Scottsdale Golf.