The 2020 Ryder Cup is finally here and Imperial hat & apparel collection will be on the scene at Whistling Straights. Imperial has been been a licensee of the PGA of America and Ryder Cup for 5 years. We can’t wait to showcase our collection in the Ryder Cup Shops on-site this year.
Before the Ryder Cup kicks off, we’ve asked two of our esteemed colleagues, David Schaffer and Dan Parenti, to provide some insight into the new Ryder Cup collection. David Schaffer, Vice President of Sales, started in Imperial’s marketing department 8 years ago. He loves creating great products with his team for golf courses to feature in their pro shops and creating consumer demand for Imperial. David shares, “I’m proud to be a part of the 2020 Ryder Cup and supporting the game of golf.”
Dan Parenti, Vice President of Design and Brand Development, has been with Imperial for over 6 years and has been in apparel and headwear product development for over 20 years. Dan adds, “It’s still a rush to work with some of the best golf courses in the world, and I’m proud of our work with the 2020 Ryder Cup.”
Describe your 2020 Ryder Cup collection. What particular items are you excited about?
David: Our collection at the Ryder Cup this year is a combination of the best-selling styles and T-shirts, ranging from solid tech hats to retro rope hats. As always, we’ve added awesome styles, colors and logos. I’m most excited about some of the vintage caps as well as the T-shirts that feature Official Ryder Cup art painted by Lee Wybranski.
Dan: Our 2020 Ryder Cup collection pays homage to both Whistling Straits’ location in Wisconsin and Imperial’s midwestern roots. I’m particularly excited about our special edition Alter Ego cap, which bears a pattern including the Wisconsin state silhouette, wedges of cheese and sheep. We’ve also partnered with Lee Wybranski again on a T-shirt design with his beautiful Ryder Cup poster painting on the back.
What was the inspiration behind the Ryder Cup hat and T-shirt designs?
David: We tried to spotlight the Ryder Cup logo in a variety of formats, including several different kinds of patches in addition to embroidery. Vintage styling and modern fits were the themes of our headwear, and our T-shirts are buttery soft with tastefully washed prints.
Dan: The Ryder Cup logo is immensely iconic. While we incorporated the logo into some unique patches and labels featuring call-outs to Wisconsin, it didn’t need much help standing out on golf hats and apparel.
If you were playing at Whistling Straits this September, which hat style would you wear?
David: Imperial style 5054 “The Wrightson” for sure! The best cap from the hottest headwear brand in golf!
Dan: I’d wear our Hammond six panel rope cap in all navy. I love this understated cap, especially with our Ryder Cup patch featuring the trophy.
If you’re attending the Ryder Cup this year, be on the lookout for David and Dan’s recommendations while browsing the merchandising tents. Nowhere else will you find our fun Wisconsin- and Ryder Cup-themed patches on our best-selling golf hats.