Olajuwon Ajanuk and Earl Cooper incorporate street style elements into their apparel and accessories while still following the traditional guidelines of golf wear. Eastside Golfis well worn on and off the fairway.
Olajuwon and Earl’s fresh approach to an established industry has attracted the attention of partners such as Michael Jordan and Mercedes-Benz, and through Eastside Golf, the duo is drawing more people into golf while making it a more inclusive and welcoming sport.
A logo that represents the brand and what lies beyond
Olajuwon and Earl met at Morehouse College, where they both played golf and won the PGA Minority College Golf Championship together. Olajuwon went into finance, but his love of golf remained a lifelong passion. Wanting to represent himself in the golf world, Olajuwon created the Eastside Golf logo by combining two photos of himself. “It’s a photo of me as a kid swinging a golf club,” Earl explains. “And then there’s another photo of me with a gold chain on. … So together, it represents being yourself and the freedom to just stand there and beat it.”
It was the kind of logo that would make people stop him on the street.
Before launching the brand, Olajuwon showed Earl a mockup of the logo, and Earl suggested Olajuwon wear it on a shirt. That’s how the two accidentally got recognized for the brand. “I put the logo on a T-shirt, ironed it, went to downtown Detroit for a couple of hours, and got stopped probably 120, 130 times,” Olajuwon recalls. “And from there, I was like, wow, we’ve got something.”
The belief, effort and determination required to launch a brand
Being stopped on the street just for wearing the sample logo gave them confidence, but it didn’t translate into start-up capital or logistical know-how.
“When I started this business, I had an eviction notice on my apartment door,” Olajuwon said. “I maxed out my credit cards, I maxed out my 401(k) and sold all my crypto.”
At the same time, Olajuwon was also dealing with logistical issues. “I literally packed up my first 3,000 orders and filled every blue bin at the USPS two hours away from my apartment,” he says. “I have to find the next USPS post office, then I travel two hours from Detroit to Indiana to find a place to ship packages. At the end of the day, it takes faith, hard work and grit. Sometimes there’s no Plan B.”
Seeing how passionate Olajuwon was about the brand, Earl was convinced to join him on his journey, and the two launched Eastside Golf as Plan A, catching the eye of the legendary athlete.
Building a golf brand that everyone can enjoy
Golf courses and country clubs have many rules and guidelines, including clothing. Olajuwon and Earl created clothing and accessories that meet these guidelines while incorporating modern design elements. Their insider knowledge of golf and penchant for streetwear have made Eastside Golf the preferred outfit on and off the golf course.
“Whether you play mini golf, putt putt golf or a PGA Championship athlete like Wyatt Worthington, we make apparel for you,” Earl said. “We often say that you don’t have to play golf to wear Eastside Golf clothing.”
By incorporating this approachability into their brand, Olajuwon and Earl are able to instill their values of inclusivity into every decision they make for Eastside Golf.
This is also why Michael Jordan took notice of the brand.
“He called us golf pioneers. He said that because we’re doing what he was trying to do with Jordan Golf, and he knows how hard it is,” Olajuwon said. “We’re trying to bring golf into the culture. Culture is for everybody. And when I say culture, I mean just non-traditional. If you like non-traditional, it doesn’t matter what color you are. You like Eastside Golf.”
For more information on how Eastside Golf has expanded, Shopify Master.
