Carl Banks Is On A Mission To Get Starter Back On Sidelines

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STARTER X MLB X JADAKISS x FUNK FLEX - The Return of the Bronx Bubble Jacket

Source: Blue Pictoral / Starter

Before brands like Nike and Reebok brought together the world of sports fashion and pop culture, Starter pioneered that movement. Led by New York Giants legend Carl Banks, the brand wants to remind people of its relevance in the culture and bring Starter back to where it belongs: on the sidelines of your favorite professional sports franchises.

Starter Inc. was founded in 1971 in New Haven, Connecticut, by David Beckerman, who, at the time, made team uniforms for high school athletic programs before placing that iconic logo on professional sports team jerseys and apparel.

Starter wouldn’t hit its stride until 1983 after entering licensing agreements with the NBA, NFL, NHL, and the Canadian Football League (CFL) and with some brilliant marketing that put the focus on the “S and star” logo that famously lived on the sleeves of its jackets and the back of hats.

Fast forward to the 1990s when the Starter brand became a staple within the Hip-Hop community, with legendary group NWA, rocking the iconic Raiders hat, the satin team jackets, and the iconic Bronx Bubble now returning as we celebrate 50 years of Hip-Hop.

Carl Banks’ Transition From The Football Field To Corporate Office Was A Seamless One

Source: Blue Pictoral / Starter

At an NYC event on July 25, marking the return of the Bronx Bubble, we spoke with the President and founder of G-III’s sports division, Carl Banks, who broke down his seamless transition from the field to the corporate office.

“So when I was still playing, I wanted to be able to create a brand like Starter because I wore it as a player. So my second year in football, I started really looking at how I could be in partnership with the NFL and the NBA, and I started with a big and tall line, created it, and grew it to a point where I had to scale it. Then I partnered with G-III, who was the number one outerwear manufacturer in the world. And we’ve been rocking and rolling for 30 years now, over 30 years,” Banks told Cassius Life.

Starter Is So Much More Than Just Outerwear

Source: Blue Pictoral / Starter

Banks knew he wanted to do more than just focus on outerwear, adding, “the goal was to be a full apparel company, not just outerwear. So we were able to build everything from outerwear to swimwear, t-shirts, hats, you name it, with every sports league. So I’m super proud of the partnerships that I have with the leagues and to be able to really be a top licensee in all the sports. And having a brand like Starter is a legacy brand, and there is an emotional connection with fans in this brand. There’s always a Starter story in every household.

…there is an emotional connection with fans in this brand. There’s always a Starter story in every household.

He continues, “So because Starter made sports apparel, a wearable experience, I would say they made fandom a wearable experience. The legacy continues to be able to continue to bring out iconic pieces like this Bronx Bubble Jacket.”

Strategic Timing For The Bronx Bubble’s Return

Source: Blue Pictoral / Starter

The timing of the Bronx Bubbles’ return is no coincidence. Banks and the Starter brand is well aware of the iconic fashion piece’s importance in the Hip-Hop community, so it was a no-brainer to bring it back as we celebrate Hip-Hop’s 50th year of existence and why it’s synonymous with the Bronx and the New York Yankees.

“We wanted this bubble jacket because it’s the 50th anniversary of Hip-Hop. Hip-Hop started in the Bronx. The Bronx Bubble started with the Yankees,” Banks said. “When the Yankees were winning championships in the 90s, this was an iconic jacket, and George Steinbrenner did not want his team to take the field without a Starter jacket on.”

When the Yankees were winning championships in the 90s, this was an iconic jacket, and George Steinbrenner did not want his team to take the field without a Starter jacket on.

He continues, “That’s told by his daughter. That’s told by Mitchell Modell, who’s the retailer that was charged with keeping enough jackets for the entire season for the Yankees so that they would never run out. And this jacket became popular, the Bubble jacket itself, and it was dubbed the Bronx Bubble. It’s fly in every other city. Every other city had this, but it started in the Bronx, just like Hip-Hop. That’s why it’s the Bronx Bubble.”

Carl Banks Wants To Bring Starter Back To Professional Sports Sidelines

Source: Blue Pictoral / Starter

But Banks’ ambitions for the Starter brand don’t stop at streetwear dominance. He also wants to restore the feeling of having the brand back on NFL sidelines, MLB dugouts, and on NBA benches.

I think Starter will eventually take its rightful place back on the field.

“I think Starter will eventually take its rightful place back on the field. It started there. It was on the sidelines. It’ll end up at some point back on the field and on sidelines. But until that happens, we are going to keep rocking that retail and keep putting out fly product,” Banks says.

We love to hear it.

The limited edition Bronx Bubble is now available at the MLB Flagship Store, Rockafeller Center in NYC, in three teams (Yankees, Mets, and Brooklyn) and three colors (Gold, Silver, and Blue) and retails for $300.

For photos from the event, hit the gallery below.

Photos: Blue Pictoral / Starter