NBA, Quiksilver partner for team-branded board shorts

The National Basketball Assn. and Huntington Beach-based surf brand Quiksilver have inked a multiyear merchandising deal that will put NBA team logos, designs and colorways on Quiksilver men's board shorts, both companies announced Thursday.

The initial collection includes eight designs featuring seven of the NBA's 32 teams. That's one style each for the Boston Celtics, New York Knicks, Dallas Mavericks, Chicago Bulls, Orlando Magic and reigning NBA champion Miami Heat, and two versions (yellow or black with purple) for the fashion-forward Los Angeles Lakers, on 22-inch outseam boardies that incorporate Quik's "Diamond Dobby" fabric technology (basically a weave that uses a raised-diamond pattern to decrease skin contact and cut down on rashing and chafing while surfing).

The NBA Quiksilver board shorts retail for $65 and are available through Quiksilver's flagship stores and website, and will eventually also be sold through the NBA's online store (which currently has team-branded boardies by G-III on offer). Quiksilver also makes pro football-branded board shorts through a partnership with the National Football  League.  

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— Adam Tschorn

Photos: The first team-branded board shorts rolling out to retail as part of Quiksilver's multiyear deal with the NBA includes designs catering to fans of (from left) the Los Angeles Lakers, Miami Heat, Boston Celtics and New York Knicks. The initial offering also includes the Chicago Bulls, Dallas Mavericks and Orlando Magic (not pictured).  Credit: NBA  

Potter heads: Team USA Quidditch jerseys now on sale

Getting into the Olympic spirit just got easier for fans of quidditch -- the game introduced to millions through the "Harry Potter" books and movies -- with the rollout of team jerseys representing the U.S., UK, France and Australia.

The 92% polyester/8% Spandex athletic tops boast anti-microbal, quick-drying and moisture-wicking properties (though apparently no magical properties, which would probably be considered cheating anyway), sell for $49.99 (and up), which isn't bad considering the shirts are all made here in the U.S.

The jerseys are from Quiyk, a 7-month-old athletic apparel start-up launched by Emerson College students Matt Lowe and Eric Wahl last November and can be purchased by either clicking through the online store at quiyk.com or going directly to the International Quidditch Assn.'s website.

If you're about to dismiss the jerseys as some merely frivolous fashion for fiction fans -- as I was about to -- it might be worth checking out the IQA's website. Apparently the broom-based sport of wizards has been adapted for muggle play, complete with an annual tournament (host cities for the 2012 competition have been narrowed to either Kissimmee, Fla., or Riverside, Calif.).

And, with the Olympics getting ready to unspool in London, the IQA has scheduled its 2012 Summer Games for Oxford, England, on July 8 and 9 -- which, organizers point out, is just when the Olympic torch is scheduled to be passing through on its way to London.

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Photos: At top, images of the Team USA Quidditch jerseys ($49.99) now available through Quiyk.com. At bottom, the jersey for Team UK. Credit: Quiyk  

Venus Williams, playing Wimbledon this week, returns to fashion [Updated]

With Grand Slam tennis season underway and Wimbledon, the Olympics and the U.S. Open coming up, this summer was the perfect time for sports style icon Venus Williams to relaunch her clothing brand. 

I talked to Williams recently about her new "tennis lifestyle" line called EleVen, which she is producing with an L.A.-based manufacturer.

Fashion, like tennis, is her "heart and sweat and pride and joy," said Williams, who sketches her own designs. She's particularly excited about the dress she's created to wear at the Olympics, which is inspired by her favorite superhero.

Right now she's preoccupied with tennis and set to play Wimbledon, which starts Monday. But she's up against some tough odds, battling an autoimmune disease and coming into the tournament unseeded for the first time since her debut at the All England club in 1997. [Updated 10:54 a.m. June 25 to correct the name of the All England club.]

To read more of my story about Williams, click here.

-- Booth Moore

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Photo of Venus Williams in a dress from her line EleVen. Credit: EleVen by Venus Williams.

Cedella Marley, Puma unveil Jamaican Olympic team uniforms

Bob Marley at the 2012 London Olympics? You can bet the late reggae superstar will be there in spirit.

That's the conclusion one might arrive at on seeing the uniforms the Jamaican Olympic team will be wearing during the opening and closing ceremonies and on the podium at the upcoming Games. Unveiled earlier this month in London at a ceremony that included three-time Olympic gold medal winner Usain Bolt and fashion designer Cedella Marley -- Bob's eldest daughter -- the collection riffs on the colors (green, gold and black) and designs of that country's flag, as well as imagery often associated with the legendary singer-songwriter who passed away in 1981.

The Cedella Marley for Puma collection will send the men on Jamaica's Olympic team into the opening ceremony clad in a lightweight, short-sleeve button-front shirts in army green with black accents at the shoulders, a black skinny tie and an embroidered Jamaican flag patch on the right breast. (To further hammer home the connection, it's dubbed the "Buffalo Soldier button down" and has the words "Positive Vibrations" stitched inside of the collar, both references to Bob Marley songs.) Additionally, the men may opt to wear a military-style jacket or a sweater. The uniform's trousers will be either yellow (with a black tuxedo stripe down the outer leg) or black.

The women have a single option for the opening ceremony outfit, which consists of a knee-length black-and-yellow allover leaf print skirt, a black, military-influenced jacket with a green contrast stripe running vertically down the button placket, a green belt at the waist and green accents at the cuffs. (FYI, this one is called the "Satisfy My Soul" jacket.) 

"I said to Usain, this is the first time Daddy is actually going to the Olympics," Cedella Marley says during a video presentation of the collection in London, "and you're going to be wearing him on your shoulder."

And, as long as having Bob on board doesn't slow down the "world's fastest man" in his quest for Olympic gold, we're pretty sure having a reggae shoulder angel will mean positive vibrations for all involved.

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-- Adam Tschorn

Upper photo: Usain Bolt models one of the Jamaican Olympic team's opening ceremony uniforms, designed by Cedella Marley for Puma. Credit: Mark Zibert

Lower photos: Women on the Jamaican Olympic team will take part in the opening ceremonies in military-influenced jackets paired with allover print skirts. Credit: Puma

Ermanno Scervino has designs on Azerbaijani Olympic team

When was the last time Azerbaijan was on the fashion map? Well, the Middle Eastern country, which on a world map borders the Caspian Sea to the west and neighbors Russia, Georgia, Armenia and Iran everywhere else, appears ready to make a memorable -- and stylish -- splash at the 2012 London Olympics, having tapped European luxury brand Ermanno Scervino to design a range of outfits for the big event.

The Florence, Italy, based label, which routinely shows its collections during Milan Fashion Week, has created a range of formal and casual apparel for Azerbaijan’s athletes that meld the blue, red and green colors and the crescent moon and eight-point star symbols of the republic's flag with the atelier’s upscale vibe. The result is a formal uniform consisting of a strong-shouldered, notch-lapel navy blue jacket made of a heavy stretch cotton jersey, paired with white chino trousers for the men and a white pencil skirt for women and pleat-front stretch cotton poplin dress shirts.  

The outfits are finished off with silk twill neckties and matching (and, dare we say, sharp-looking) pocket squares for the guys bearing a tropical-looking allover print in blue, red and green. The same print is rendered on a silk twill neck scarf for the women’s uniform, which is finished off with the thinnest of red belts encircling the waist. An embroidered patch on the left breast of the jackets bears the eight-point star from the republic’s flag.

Around the Olympic village, the teams will show off water-repellent nylon track jackets color-blocked in the colors of Azerbaijan's flag, with matching track pants in blue with white side stripes and red accent piping, screen-printed T-shirts, and other accessories including graphics-covered rolling luggage and bath towels.

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Photos: Among the uniforms designed by Florence-based fashion brand Ermanno Scervino for Azerbaijan's Olympic team are, from left, a formal men's outfit for the opening parade, a more casual track suit -- the women's version appears here along with a piece of rolling luggage -- and a formal women's outfit. Credit: Ermanno Scervino

Change of seasons: Bogner outfits German team for Summer Olympics

For the 2012 London Olympics, it looks like Bogner is marching in from the cold.

That's because, after kitting out the German athletes for 17 consecutive Winter Olympic Games, the Munich-based clothing label will be dressing the team for the opening and closing ceremonies of the Summer Games that get underway in London on July 27.

The parade outfits consist of zippered jackets -- bright pink weatherproof shells for the ladies and the same in baby blue for the men -- paired with white chinos and white shirts and accessorized with a lightweight pink or blue plaid scarf. (The shoes are by German footwear brand Sioux).

With the bright colors and bold zipper accents (dark blue on the men's jackets, white on the women's), the only thing that keeps these clothes from looking like they just schussed off the slopes and into the wrong season are the summery white hipster fedoras that complete the look, each boasting a hatband in the black, red and yellow stripes of the German flag.

As with past Olympic collections, Bogner's design team has created a unique emblem that melds design elements from the home country and the host city. For the London Olympics it's heraldry-inspired embroidery consisting of a shield design flanked by a stylized dragon (a nod to London's heraldic critter) and a stylized eagle (appropriated from the German flag). The design appears on the left breast jacket pocket of the men's jackets, and on the left sleeve pocket of the women's version. 

But there's a trick up Bogner's sleeve, which would be another sleeve, since the jackets are designed to be reversible, with the brightly colored nylon shells converting into navy blue blazers (complete with buttons) for evenings and more formal situations. "It is also important," the company explains in its press materials, "that athletes maintain a distinguished appearance, as they will be meeting a host of international diplomats and world class athletes and celebrities."  

The apparel brand's first presence at a Summer Olympics comes as the company celebrates its 80th anniversary. Founded in 1932 by German ski champion Willy Bogner Sr. and his wife Maria, the company got its start when he started importing skis and knit skiwear from Norway, and really got a boost after the 1948 debut of Maria's invention -- which just so happened to be elastic stretch pants.

The German athletes' competition wear and casual wear will be provided, as it has been in the past, by another German company with a long Olympic history: Adidas.

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Photos, from top: German athletes debut their Bogner-designed opening ceremony outfits, which include pink (for women) and baby blue (for men) weatherproof jackets and white chinos; the men's and women's jackets, with heraldry-inspired embroidery; a model wears the reversible jacket with the navy blue "formal" side out. Credit: Bogner

High heels and Marchesa tops: NBA, NFL ramp up fan fashion

While most of the sports world has been focused on the NHL and the Los Angeles Kings' first-ever Stanley Cup win  -- a pair of merchandise and marketing deals announced Monday by the NFL and the NBA indicate that there's also a full-court press underway to focus on the female fan base.

The National Basketball Assn.'s recent efforts include a licensing deal with New York City-based Herstar to offer two styles of high-heeled women's footwear -- a limited-edition, crystal-encrusted pump that will boost women fans a bit closer to the rim thanks to a 6-inch heel and 3-inch platform ($249.99), with a not-quite-as-steep microsuede version with a 4-inch heel and 1-inch platform ($99.99). Both versions are blinged-out by hand in each of the 30 NBA team color combinations with the franchise logo emblazoned across either the side (for the crystal version) or top (microsuede) of the vamp. 

And as industry trade paper WWD first reported, fashion-forward football fans can expect to see some sort of limited-edition shirt from Marchesa -- a label better known for the runway than the sidelines -- released in collaboration with the NFL. League representatives confirm that there is, indeed, something in the works with that luxury label, but they declined to offer any additional details as to price, availability or even what kind of shirts (T-shirts? fancy tops?) we might expect to see.

According to WWD, whatever kind of shirt it is "will make its debut during the NFL's two weeks of kickoff festivities in New York planned around the Sept. 5 New York Giants-Dallas Cowboys opener." 

Apparently the still-in-the-works collaboration became prematurely public knowledge last week during a photo shoot for the NFL's upcoming female-focused print advertising campaign featuring high-profile football fans like former Secretary of State Condoleeza Rice, mogul spouse Melania Trump, DJ Kiss (a.k.a. JaKissa Taylor-Semple), Olympic swimmer Summer Sanders, former Miss USA Susie Castillo, owner spouse Suzanne Johnson (husband Woody owns the New York Jets) and "Dancing With the Stars" dancers Peta Murgatroyd and Kym Johnson, which is scheduled to hit the September issues of assorted fashion glossies.

But, while the Marchesa news may set the bar for sideline style a good deal higher, league reps point out that the NFL's outreach efforts to female fans is now in its third year. Last year's theme was "rivalry," we were told, and this year the campaign's theme is: "It's My Team."

Except for Los Angeles where there's been no "my" in "home team" since 1995.

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Photos: Behind-the-scenes images from the Friday photo shoot for the NFL's upcoming female-fan-focused "It's My Team" campaign, which included at top (left to right) DJ Kiss, actress and former Miss USA Susie Castillo and Olympic swimmer Summer Sanders (Credit: Esther Nisanova/NFL). At middle, the two styles of newly licensed NBA high heels from Herstars include a microsuede pump with a 4-inch heel (shown in Clipper colorway and logo, $99.99) and a crystal-encrusted pump with a 6-inch heel (shown in Laker colorway and logo, $249.99). Credit: NBA 

Lost sunglasses? Dizm's will biodegrade

Most SoCal lifeguards who rush into the water for a rescue end up losing their sunglasses in the water -- inadvertently adding to the Pacific Trash Vortex. But Dizm Eyewear is hoping to change that with its new eco-collection of biodegradable sunglasses.

"The concept is that if you lose your sunglasses in the water, they'll turn into fish food once they're decomposed. If you lose them in the forest, in five or 10 years, they'd turn into biomass and be completely gone," said Jonas Lee, general manager of Dizm Eyewear in Hermosa Beach.

A sunglass line designed to bridge the gap between action sports and fashion, Dizm makes about 70 styles, 18 of which have biodegradable frames. Dizm is still working on a biodegradable solution for its polycarbonate lenses, which present a challenge because of the need for optical clarity. Before the end of the year, Dizm hopes to switch all of its frames to plastics made from wood, cotton and palm oil.

"Our entire team is working to develop the best processes for recycling and repurposing glasses as well as to take good care of our playground," said Dizm founder Linda Larson, who recently sponsored a beach cleanup at the American Pro Surfing Series contest in Huntington Beach and is currently developing a collection program for its glasses to either rework and donate them to people in need or to dispose of them more ecologically than the landfill.

If composted with a backyard system, the biodegradable sunglass frames will break down over the course of several seasons, Larson said.

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Photo: Dizm Eyewear eco-collection sunglasses. Credit: Dizm Eyewear.

Ralph Lauren unveils U.S. Olympic team closing ceremony garb

Ralph Lauren, the brand that's long been an official provider of Team USA's most high-profile Olympic wear, took Wednesday's 100-day-out mark from the 2012 London Games to unveil some of what the American competitors will be wearing -- at least for the closing parade and around the Olympic Village.

The U.S. Olympic and Paralympic closing ceremony parade uniforms and village wear were unveiled in a "Today" show segment, and sketches of the outfits were made available to the media. The closing ceremony garb has a kind of yacht/tennis club vibe, white uniforms with accents in red and navy.

The women's closing ceremony uniform pairs a white button-front blouse (emblazoned with a red, white and blue Team U.S.A. logo and the label's Big Pony logo in navy) with a knee-length skirt that also buttons down the front to create a shirt dress look. The men's version pairs a similarly logofied white button-front sport shirt and white pleat-front trousers, and both outfits are accessorized with silk repp-stripe belts in red, white and navy blue pattern, that, for the women, also appears on a silk scarf that ties at the neck.

The village wear offerings include a range of more casual pieces, including mesh polos, shorts, sweatshirts, tanks and tunics, heavy on the navy blue with red accents.

The big reveal -- the U.S. Olympic Team's opening ceremony uniforms -- is set for sometime this summer in advance of the July 27 kickoff of the 2012 London Olympics.

For those who might want to get into the Olympic spirit early, the consumer version of the Ralph Lauren 2012 Team USA Olympic collection is now available online, and is expected to hit Ralph Lauren stores, Team USA shops and select department stores in May.

Let the march of the Olympic merchandise begin!

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-- Adam Tschorn

Photos: Sketches of the recently revealed Ralph Lauren looks for the 2012 U.S. Olympic and Paralympic athletes include, from left, the men's and women's closing ceremony uniforms and men's and women's village wear. Credit: Ralph Lauren

Loudmouth Golf to outfit U.S. Olympic men's beach volleyball team

Because Wednesday marks exactly 100 days out from the opening ceremony of the 2012 Olympics in London, we thought it appropriate to start looking at some of the fashion and style partnerships, deals and sponsorships set to unspool on the world stage starting July 27.

One we're looking forward to involves Sonoma, Calif.-based Loudmouth Golf, a label that felt the boost of Olympic exposure during the 2010 Winter Games in Vancouver, where the Norwegian curling team turned up quite unexpectedly uniformly attired in the brand's bright argyle-print trousers.

At the time, the company reported a tenfold increase in daily Web traffic and a threefold increase in sales of said trousers. "They were in front of millions of eyeballs," Loudmouth Golf's chief executive, Larry Jackson, said recently. "Our servers melted."

Fast forward to earlier this year when the brand, which sponsors pro golfer John Daly, announced it had signed a four-year deal to sponsor Phil Dalhausser and Todd Rogers, the U.S. men's beach volleyball team that earned a gold medal at the 2008 Beijing Olympics.

The sponsorship coincides with Loudmouth's spring 2012 expansion into surf-appropriate pieces -- boardshorts, swimsuits, zip-front hoodies and sunglasses  -- to its collection of brightly patterned, festively colored (and often hilariously named) pants, polos, blazers, shorts and accessories for men, and pants, skorts, Bermuda shorts and miniskirts for women. (The women's apparel, which was added in 2009, has grown to represent 35% of sales.)