Kyrie Irving
MANUFACTURING
Cavaliers Player Kyrie Irving Designing for LA Underwear Co.
Kyrie Irving, one of the young stars on the Cleveland Cavaliers basketball team, is hoping for a shot from downtown with the new collection he is designing for PSD Underwear, a clothing venture that three years ago set up shop near downtown Los Angeles.
"He has been wearing our product for a while now and is a big supporter," said Curt Flaitz, PSD Underwear's president. "It was basically one of those things where the underwear category was blowing up and we decided to work with different athletes."
The looks Irving designed in conjunction with PSD lead designer Ryan Flaitz debuts Aug. 7 in stores such as Champs, Foot Action and Shoe Palace. His first collection is a series of six custom boxer briefs in bright prints made of 95 percent premium cotton and 5 percent elastane with a microfiber waist band bearing Irving's signature. It is made in China and wholesales for $9.60.
"The story behind his design is that he travels the country all year round and is inspired by different fashion trends he may see in Indiana or Chicago," Curt Flaitz said. "He brings to the plate the most on-trend designs."
But Irving is doing more than just design, with more collections to come each season. He is taking an equity stake in the company that the Flaitz brothers started in 2008 with a slightly different business model. For four years, they traveled around the country in a tour bus to trade shows and college campuses to get the word out about their brand.
In 2012, they established roots in Los Angeles with a bricks-and-mortar office and have been working with a few NBA and NFL players to invest and support the brand.
