New York sports activities followers are recognized to loudly put on their hearts on their sleeves, and this jacket does the speaking for them — on the court docket, the rink and on the sector.
It’s all concerning the New York Knicks proper now, with the group on a shocking and historic successful streak, however Madison Sq. Backyard regulars — each on and off the court docket — don’t need to overlook their different hometown heroes.
To the rescue comes Alex Ruffin, a 31-year-old Connecticut designer who created the “Madison Square Guardian,” a $1,400 bespoke jacket — one half repping the Rangers, the opposite the Knicks — so followers may have a good time the beating coronary heart of Large Apple sports activities, win or lose.
“MSG — that’s the mecca right there,” he instructed The Submit. “Babies are born every day into a fandom… Sports unify a lot of people.”
The coat of many colours is a part of the “Hometown Hero” sequence, from Ruffin’s A Thrifted Temple label — a enjoyable fusion of two classic group jackets from the identical metropolis or state, chopped up and sewn collectively to create an excellent bolder assertion.
“People resonate with my jackets to the degree that they do because sports is the one thing on this planet that transcends,” mentioned Ruffin, who created the idea three years in the past in his Stamford residence.
“I thought it was a brilliant idea, because who doesn’t like to represent where they’re from?” he added.
Even Jalen Brunson, the Knicks’ star guard, is on board.
“Jalen’s jacket that I made for him is very special for me,” Ruffin mentioned of the $1,400 sold-out type worn by Brunson final month. “It made a lot of sense, just knowing the history of the team and the owners, then knowing that Jalen Brunson’s father played for the Knicks back in the day as well, so it was a really cool full-circle moment.”
And it’s a full-circle second certainly, contemplating the Knicks are within the Jap Convention Finals for the primary time since 2000 — when Brunson’s dad Rick was on the group.
A successful combo
Ruffin’s rad rags begin at $800, with the most well-liked designs spotlighting New York groups — however they’ve been seen sported everywhere in the nation, by the likes of Davion Mitchell, who presently performs for the Miami Warmth, and the Milwaukee Bucks’ Andre Jackson Jr. in addition to rappers Westside Gunn, Anderson .Paak, Lil Yachty and Large Sean.
The craze kicked off when Yankees participant Jazz Chisholm Jr. wore a specially-made Hometown Hero jacket (Knicks-Yankees) at MSG — a surreal second for Ruffin, who performed baseball for 10 years rising up.
“They had him on the Jumbotron, and he’s showing both sides of the jacket off,” Ruffin mentioned. “I was just like, it’s happening. It’s finally happening. Everything since has been crazy.”
The last word slam dunk got here after Brunson’s large reveal, nonetheless — resulting in followers from throughout reaching out with requests for their very own private pairings.
“It’s a hot commodity right now, and it’s almost overwhelming to a degree, but in a good way. A lot of people want my work,” Ruffin mentioned. “It’s crazy because I don’t just view my jackets as jackets, I view them as art pieces.”
Courtroom couture
Ruffin could make as much as 4 jackets in a day and most have a base worth of $500 to $600 — although New York designs, that are in excessive demand, have a better price ticket.
Sourcing the originals to Frankenstein collectively is difficult — he depends on Mercari, eBay, Depop or native thrift shops, although shoppers can provide two jackets to fuse collectively — and so is maintaining with the inflow of orders, particularly for the reason that Knicks’ streak.
However for the in-demand creator, it’s all in a day’s work. “They say this all the time, if you can make it in New York, you can make it anywhere.”
Typically, patrons snatch up the jackets virtually instantly after he posts about restocks on social media. To this point, he’s bought about 100 Hometown Hero jackets.
“With these jackets that I make, I feel I’m like knighting people. Like, this is like a battle armor for you that I feel is yours and belongs to you solely,” Ruffin mentioned.
Nevertheless it was rather less than three years in the past that he began stitching severely and bringing his designs to life to start with — and he’s fully self-taught.
“It’s almost like trying to learn a new language,” he mentioned.
Comeback story
Ruffin’s large win comes just a little over a decade after he was pressured to drop out of faculty at age 18 to maintain his mother when she was identified with most cancers.
“I remember clear as day, having that weight at such a young age, it does something to you,” Ruffin mentioned. “To see somebody that you have such a bond with disintegrate right in front of you and lose all aspects of themselves.”
She died in 2013, a number of weeks after his twentieth birthday, and Ruffin’s father handed away a number of years later on the age of 51.
Experiencing immense loss at such a younger age may’ve damaged him, however he realized to show his ache into artwork. He reintroduced himself to drawing and began portray his designs on garments, which he discovered therapeutic.
“It would ease my mind from the loss,” he mentioned.
He bought his first painted jacket for $80 and, within the years since, he has been in a position to give up his day job at Dash and “throw caution to the wind” to focus solely on A Thrifted Temple.
“It’s really humbling to me because I made these jackets in my apartment. It’s just me, my living room space and my sewing machine,” he mentioned.
He’s now making greater than any earlier gig — and his life is so much richer, too.
Although he may not be right here to see it, Ruffin mentioned he’s positive he made his father, a “die-hard” New York sports activities fan, proud.
“I know my mom, my dad and my grandma are all with me in spirit on this journey.”
