How this understated Canadian apparel brand is making a big impact in the golf space

In the increasingly crowded athletic wear marketplace, brands go to great lengths to stand out. Levelwear, a family-owned and managed apparel company founded in 1987, has taken a different approach.

The Canadian outfit has steadily built a strong reputation based on consistent quality and superior customer service. Licensing deals with major sports leagues like the MLB, NHL, NBA and PGA Tour have made Levelwear products so prolific, you likely have a garment or two hanging in your closet without even knowing it.

Tune in to a pro golf broadcast and you’ll see dozens of golfers wearing Levelwear, from Tour players Corey Conners and Adam Hadwin to Carlota Ciganda and Alena Sharp on the LPGA.

Hadwin is a longtime brand partner and says he not only appreciates Levelwear’s quality but also their commitment to getting him what he needs when he needs it.

“The product is some of the highest quality on Tour, and the wide variety of color profiles and styles is something I really appreciate,” he said via email. “My clothes take a beating and get quite a bit of use, and it’s always struck me how well the product holds up over a long season. I’ve been fortunate to have a partner so motivated and dedicated to helping me. They genuinely care.”

Jeff Stacy is the VP of development at Empire Sports Management, a firm that represents a number of golfers on the PGA and LPGA tours, several of whom are Levelwear partners. Stacy has long been impressed with Levelwear’s commitment to both quality and service, and whenever the agency signs a new player, Levelwear is often top of mind.

Gear

“They’re the best option most of the time because I know what I’m going to get,” he says. “It’s just turnkey. Levelwear is different than any other apparel company because they control everything so well. From the second you do the deal, you have a CAD with all of the stuff they’re going to send your player, all of their corporate logos, and it’s down to the detail of ‘Do you want us to change the thread color on these, based on all these patterns of shirts?’ I don’t get that from anybody.”

After spending decades as a high-quality manufacturer with limited name recognition, Levelwear is ready to raise its profile. Their recent focus on brand awareness is perhaps best exemplified by the creation of the Levelwear Caddie Lounge — an innovative space that includes a barbershop, physiotherapy, product gifting, food and drinks and even massages for the game’s professional loopers.

“Caddies are an integral component to the player’s success,” says Vitalis Gomes, Levelwear’s VP of brand marketing. “So if we can treat them and give them an environment that is their own, they’ll start to be kind of our ambassadors. It’s a point of differentiation for us, and it’s been a massive success.”

Thanks to efforts like the Lounge, which will be on-site at select PGA Tour events throughout the year, Levelwear has benefited from priceless goodwill from caddies and players alike.

Celebrities

“I see a lot of non-Levelwear guys wearing their stuff because it is so good,” says Stacy. If you talk to enough people involved with Levelwear, a common theme starts to emerge: The brand is lauded for its commitment to relationships.

“I can’t say enough about the people behind the brand that execute around the partnership,” says Hadwin. “They’ve made me feel like an important piece of the overall brand strategy. As a partner, the servicing is really unmatched.”

Stacy concurs. “Levelwear is best in show in terms of application and getting players product, working with the agents to do everything efficiently and on a timely basis,” he says. “There’s plenty of great brands to work with and their clothes are awesome, but, as far as the overall package, there’s no one better.”

Style, quality and performance at an affordable price. That’s Levelwear.

Golf.com Editor

As a four-year member of Columbia’s inaugural class of female varsity golfers, Jessica can out-birdie everyone on the masthead. She can out-hustle them in the office, too, where she’s primarily responsible for producing both print and online features, and overseeing major special projects, such as GOLF’s inaugural Style Is­sue, which debuted in February 2018. Her origi­nal interview series, “A Round With,” debuted in November of 2015, and appeared in both in the magazine and in video form on GOLF.com.

• Author Twitter Account
• Author Instagram Account