OKLAHOMA CITY (AP) _ Westbrook Frames, a company that Thunder All-Star guard Russell Westbrook co-owns, has partnered with the NBA to launch a new series.
The initial release includes frames for seven teams _ Cleveland, Boston, Los Angeles Clippers, Miami, New York, Los Angeles Lakers and Brooklyn Nets. They are available on the Westbrook Frames website for $145.
There are designs for all 30 teams, and eventually, the others will be released, said Marc Beckman, Westbrook Frames co-owner and Westbrook’s marketing agent for fashion.
“Our goal was to put together a special collection of luxury-tiered eyewear that really caters to the very prevalent upper-echelon sports fan who loves fashion right now,” Beckman said. “NBA and basketball are the leaders when it comes to all sports and fashion.”
Westbrook’s foray into eyewear came after he wore red frames without lenses to postgame interviews during the 2012 playoffs. Beckman, CEO and founder of DMA United, said getting Westbrook into the eyewear market was one of their first goals. They added Selima Optique as a partner to help smooth the process.
“Being that Russell was the one who created this eyewear trend in the NBA, it was important for us to give him the opportunity to own an equity position, and to be the first out in the category out of all the players in the NBA,” Beckman said. “We wanted to own that space for Russell.”
This is the sixth collection for Westbrook Frames, which launched in July 2014, and the company’s second collaboration with the league _ it launched an All-Star Series ahead of the 2015 All-Star game. Westbrook was voted the All-Star MVP of the game.
Other Westbrook Frames series include the Gold Series, which is the core collection; the Black Series, which is exclusively sold at Barneys New York, the Silver Series, which Westbrook created for Jack Threads, and the Optical Series, which is for prescription lenses.
Westbrook, the 2014-15 NBA scoring champion, has become increasingly involved in the fashion industry. He recently launched the Westbrook XO Barneys New York Spring 2015 Collection, in which he created pieces in partnership with Nike Jordan, Marcelo Burlon County of Milan, Naked and Famous, WANT Les Essentiels de la Vie, Del Toro and Globe-Trotter. He also has fashion partnerships with True Religion, LVMH/Zenith Watches, Kings and Jaxs and Jordan Brand.
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Follow Cliff Brunt on Twitter: www.twitter.com/CliffBruntAP.
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Online: www.westbrookframes.com
