NBA ALL-STAR BEN SIMMONS PARTNERS WITH THE WOOLMARK COMPANY
Australian-born NBA All-Star Ben Simmons has teamed up with The Woolmark Company to develop a limited edition, high-performance Merino wool t-shirt.
All proceeds from the sales of the t-shirt will go towards the Ben Simmons Family Foundation (BSFF), which backs community-led organizations that have a similar mission in breaking down barriers to opportunity.
The 100 percent Merino wool t-shirt has been designed by Simmons and was born from the BSFF value “Do it with Heart” – lead with heart, do the right thing, and value that everything is connected. The t-shirt design centers around the mantra #equalize which is written in some of the many languages spoken and inspired by communities around the world that love and celebrate basketball.
“Our goal with this merchandise is to center equality of opportunity, something we all need to commit to – to actively equalize,” said Simmons. “We wanted to bring awareness to the impact of racism in denying opportunities to people everywhere, and drive support for people and resources that are committed to challenging existing issues.”
“With the design, we played around a lot with ideas like liveliness and harmony,” Simmons continued. “We wanted to create a sense of texture and diversity but also have balance – how different things can come together to make a greater whole, like the concept of equality itself. And we wanted to do it in a way that retains the unique feel of Merino tees”
“We chose to work with Australian Merino wool because it’s a sustainable, ethically produced fiber that’s also incredibly high quality – it’s soft, odor-resistant and temperature regulating, and it has an amazing drape,” he added. “For me, you shouldn’t have to compromise between luxury and performance, and I’m proud that it’s produced in Australia, so Merino wool was a natural choice for the fabric.”
The 100 percent Merino shirt seamlessly blends high-performance, sustainability and high-fashion, made from 18.9 Merino micron the fabric is incredibly soft, naturally thermoregulating and 100 percent renewable and bio-degradable. The t-shirt carries the Woolmark seal of approval following a rigorous quality assurance process which also guarantees fiber authenticity and long-life performance.
The Ben Simmons Merino Wool T-shirt will debut exclusively on hbx.com on April 29th, with 100 percent of all profits of the $100 t-shirt going towards the Ben Simmons Family Foundation.