Feb 23, 2012 | 02:53
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Jan 12, 2012
Fitting Wooden to a T
What Would Wooden Do?
Knowing the iconic and ever modest basketball coach, he might have been a little bit embarrassed to see that phrase — and his face — emblazoned on a brand-new line of vintage T-shirts being sold at the UCLA Store. What would have pleased him, however, is knowing that a portion of the proceeds from the shirts supports one of his favorite causes: student scholarships.
Bruin fans got their first look at the UCLA Wooden Collection by Original Retro Brand at last week’s Wooden Classic basketball game at the Honda Center in Anaheim. Fans who were on hand to watch the UCLA men’s basketball team defeat Arizona 65-58 witnessed the unveiling of the new clothing line, which currently features various styles of men’s and women’s tees decorated with graphics of well-known Wooden quotes, his 10 national championship wins and images of the coach himself.
The 100-percent cotton T-shirts — available in both long- and short-sleeved styles in several shades of blue and gray — are priced from $31 to $36. Each shirt comes equipped with a hang tag that lets the buyer know that a portion of the proceeds supports the Nell and John R. Wooden Scholarship Fund, which provides a scholarship each year to a deserving UCLA undergraduate.
In less than a week, ASUCLA reported selling 243 T-shirts at the UCLA Store and its online site, with the top-selling design featuring Wooden’s signature and one of his favorite quotes: "Do not be afraid of failure, but learn from it." The shirts can also be ordered online at www.UCLABruins.com; additional styles are available at www.originalretrobrand.com.
According to Marc Herman, owner of the Original Retro Brand, the licensee chosen for the project, plans are being made to sell the collection at some of the higher-end boutiques, such as Fred Segal and Kitson. The company also aims to expand the collection of clothing items."We will definitely have a new set of graphics coming out two or three times a year, so that we keep it as fresh as we can," Herman said. "Hats are up next. Interestingly, one of the Wooden family members commented on how much he loved hats, so it was really a great pleasure to be able to meet the family at the [Wooden Classic] basketball game in Anaheim. I heard a little more about their perspective and some of the little things that they loved so much, and ideas that I think could come from them."
In developing the designs for the T-shirts, the Original Retro Brand worked closely with the Wooden Family Trust, IMG, the Collegiate Licensing Company and UCLA’s Trademarks & Licensing Department. It was Trademarks & Licensing who came up with the T-shirt line idea in July 2009, with the goal of creating designs to reflect Wooden’s athletic career at UCLA and to celebrate his then-upcoming 100th birthday, said Cindy Holmes, director of Trademarks & Licensing.
"We immediately identified Original Retro Brand as a potential licensee for the project, based on their expertise in developing vintage-look concepts," Holmes said. "Original Retro Brand was very enthusiastic about the idea and developed initial design concepts to help us pitch the idea to the Wooden family and to prospective retailers."
For their part, the Wooden family was highly supportive. According to Greg Wooden, Coach’s grandson, the family liked everything Herman presented to them right off the bat."It seemed like a style that my grandfather would have liked," Wooden said. "It had that ‘old school’ feel to it. And we thought that everything they showed us right from the start was perfect."
What would Wooden think?
"Well, he was pretty modest," said his grandson, laughing. "For instance, my favorite shirt is the one that has the 10 national championships on it. He probably would have said, ‘Don’t do that one. And don’t put John Wooden on them.’
"He would have said, ‘Keep them about UCLA.’ "
For more information about the UCLA Wooden Collection, click here.
