Carnoustie Apparel - My thoughts...

[GolfSpyC]

I have to be honest. Up until writing this review, my only association with Carnoustie was that terribly challenging golf course in Scotland. Turns out, Marshall Mancillas (CEO) has been at this since the mid 1990s and the reason I had no association with Carnoustie  is because you'll find his classy threads in places Pine Valley and Pebble Beach, aka places I've never been.

 

Carnoustie is Mercedes-Benz and American Cut in TriBeca. It's a 20 year single malt and a smooth cohiba. It's classy, refined and comfortable with who it is. What all of that means is as much as I want to compare them to mainline brands like Under Armour and Nike, you really can't. But...you kind of can.

 

In my conversation with Marshall, we talked about a lot of things. He told me about the history of the company, philosophy on production, and ultimately what makes his product stand out - or perhaps more accurately - stand above the rest.

 

“I've never been comfortable with the middle of the market.” And really, that says absolutely everything it needs to about Carnoustie.

 

Like I said before, this is top shelf kind of stuff. From the pearl buttons to the luxurious brushed cotton, there's no doubt the ingredients are premium grade.

 

Over the last couple months, I've been wearing the Cotton ¼ Zip Pullover and the Performance Polo. Here are my general impressions.

 

Performance Polo - This is the part where I was saying you are kind of forced to compare the product to something from Adidas, Nike or UA. The components are pretty much identical. All have about 88% Polyester, 12% spandex - some type of moisture-wicking elements and UV protection. So what's the difference? With Carnoustie, you get a couple upgrades (pearl buttons and a collar which holds shape better) and more conservative colorways.With Adidas and Nike you get more aggressive styles and a shirt you're more likely to see on TV. In terms of cost, expect Carnoustie to be 40%-50% more expensive for comparable models, unless you go bargain shopping for models from the previous season. Carnoustie's entry into performance clothing is relatively recent and because some many other companies do this segment of the market so well, there's nothing substantial here to really set them apart.

If you want a car analogy,  it's kind of like when Cadillac came out with the Escalade truck. It's not that it was bad, but other than being a Cadillac, it really didn't do anything Toyota, Ford and Chevy didn't already do...and hadn't been doing for sometime.

 

Cotton Pullover. This piece rocks. It's uber comfortable, looks classy, launders well and

It's clear “cotton” is the bread and butter of Carnoustie. I could go on ad nauseum about how awesome it is. I'll try not to. I love the versatility of it. I can dress it up or wear it with jeans. You look ready for the boardroom, but feel like you're wearing comfy pajamas. The colorways and aesthetics are classic and rich, yet understated. They don't scream “Hey look at me.” But, for some reason people still will.  I don't often splurge on clothing, but this one makes me reconsider.

 

Mancillas refuses to cut corners and he abhors the idea of mediocrity, but admits this type of a PR push is “kind of a new thing.” There aren't many companies who can exist on reputation alone and really Mancillas wants “to let more people know who we are and what we do.” This doesn't mean he's after the middle of the market or that he's changing anything at all moving forward. If anything he's sticking to the same message, but turning up the volume a little.

 

[Tinkerer]

Very nice! I used to love Bobby Jones for their cotton pools and this might be the replacement. Nice review!

 

 

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