The Prince x Sean Wotherspoon Collection celebrates vintage design
Designer Sean Wotherspoon loves vintage clothing. He adores what brands were doing in the 1980s and 1990s. Known the world over for that viewpoint, it made him a prime choice to design amidst Prince’s continued push to reassert itself into fashion under the creative direction of David Grutman.
It comes, then, as an unexpected, yet fitting, partnership to see Wotherspoon’s eight-piece Prince x Sean Wotherspoon Collection launching Aug. 24 with all things vintage.
“I obviously have a love for vintage clothing and what brands were doing in the ‘80s and ‘90s,” says the co-founder of Round Two, a vintage and apparel store with locations across the country. “Prince has always stayed true to their roots, but like all brands, there’s always pieces that are overlooked. I wanted to take what I love about the old Prince and make that a huge part of the new Prince. By taking cues from different pieces of Prince’s history, as well as inspiration from other parts of life, we are able to help create those memories that mean the most while also following a current vintage trend.”
The Prince x Sean Wotherspoon Collection.
The collection, debuting ahead of the US Open, allowed Wotherspoon to infuse inspiration from New York while giving Prince a rejuvenated approach to fashion in its Prince Off Court lifestyle label.
Grutman says landing Wotherspoon, who has a “sick style,” lets Prince embrace a design that is genuine and authentic. “He has an eye for creating products that will stand the test of time and brings valuable expertise to the table,” Grutman says, “not only as an expert on vintage gear, but also as an expert retailer who can anticipate what the next trend will be. I’m pumped to be working with him.”
With Prince, Wotherspoon says he aimed to share the brand’s heritage through his personal lens, always wanting to bring memories of joy and happiness to fans through clothing and design. He remained close to the brand’s roots with tennis a central aspect of the design, including using optic yellow — the color of the ball — throughout the assortment.
The Prince x Sean Wotherspoon Collection.
The eight pieces, from the well-known tracksuit to sweatshirts to t-shirts and shorts, especially embrace ‘80s design. “’80s design and fashion across the board were absolutely insane,” Wotherspoon says. “So much variety. The style of Memphis Design, that geometric-driven style with really bright, saturated hues, was groundbreaking and Prince was one of the brands doing it great justice. The ripple effect of it is still seen and felt in fashion and design today. That is just one era we will touch on in the journey ahead with Prince.”
The collection comes as a design, he says, for any person who is a fan of tennis, plays tennis, wears vintage tennis gear, idolizes pro players, watches tennis on television or even the sneakerhead who loves to wear Andre Agassi or Nick Bollettieri gear.
But narrowing down what to include in the collection was a challenge, the toughest decision of the process. “I’m already over here thinking I could have done more,” Wotherspoon says with a laugh. “The first piece I knew in my head I wanted to do was the infamous Prince tracksuit. I have collected so many OG sets and couldn’t believe I now had the opportunity to put my spin on them, an absolute no-brainer. I kept the tracksuit as the hero of the line and then chose basics like sweatpants, sweatshirts, mesh shorts and t-shirts to also put my spin on. I actually managed to convince Prince to do some prints and other things they typically wouldn’t.”
Wotherspoon was able to find placement for his “SW peace sign” logo throughout and printed the t-shirt logos inside-out to create a singular look when worn. “I knew the tracksuit was going to be dope,” he says, “but it really came out super killer. I’m beyond hyped on everything though, honestly.”
Printing techniques were part of the Prince x Sean Wotherspoon Collection.
Working in tennis is a seamless effort for Wotherspoon, saying it is one of the few sports, similar to polo, where style is such an important element of the narrative around the game. “From the athletes to the spectators, there really hasn’t been, until recently, any disruptors in the category taking a crazier perspective on the fashion and style around tennis as a whole,” he says. “There’s so much history, so many people, famous locations involved with tennis. When I start thinking about it, I get obsessed with the amount of possibilities. This all is very exciting to find within a brand.”
Not only did Wotherspoon’s love of Prince’s heritage library and his inspiration from New York help set the tone for the collection, but he also considered major tennis events from around the globe in the sense of basing design off what spectators wear.
The Wotherspoon collection comes on the heels of Grutman’s debut efforts for Prince Off Court. Grutman knows that to create buzz in the brand they need to make noise with designs and collaborations. “We have a lot coming,” he says. “Prince is an iconic brand that is synonymous with tennis and we’re here to evolve that and truly amplify the name. We saw an opportunity to energize the brand in the lifestyle space by adding killer products and collaborating with creative minds who bring a fresh perspective to this kind of style.”
The current trend of heritage tennis brands having a moment in fashion works well for the brand, but Grutman simply sees it as a new chapter for Prince expanding into lifestyle collections, “elevating the sport and creating a community around a brand, which is really powerful.”
The Prince x Sean Wotherspoon Collection will be available in limited quantities on the Prince Off Court website and at Round Two in New York with prices ranging from $40 to $95.
“Tennis is part of pop culture,” Grutman says, “and its influence is definitely felt in the fashion community. We’re bringing some edge to tennis fashion.” This time, in a style distinct to Wotherspoon.
