Banana Republic launches men's capsule collection with basketball player Kevin Love

By

Gabriella Lacombe

Published
Sep 19, 2018

Banana Republic and pro basketball player Kevin Love have partnered to create BR/K.LOVE-18, a limited-edition collection of men's accessories and apparel. The basketball player has been a style ambassador for the brand for over three years. 

The capsule retails from $14.50 to $548.00 and includes high-performance apparel like motion-stretch suit separates, a varsity jacket, fitted corduroy trousers, coats and sweaters, as well as accessories such as bags, hats, bandanas, socks and ties. 

To promote the collection, Love starred in the ad campaign, "Who is Kevin Love?," which features the athlete and his celebrity friends telling tall tales of their experiences together. The campaign was developed in partnership with R/GA Portland, and debuted alongside the collection's in-store drop. 

"We wanted to showcase Kevin's off-court talents through a series of exaggerated, entertaining stories," explained Banana Republic Chief Marketing Officer Mary Alderete in a release. "[In the campaign] Love out-chefs James Beard award winner Marcus Samuelsson of Red Rooster, leaves gold medal winning Olympic skier Lindsey Vonn in his snow-covered dust, and mixes beats that perplex even master producer and drummer of The Roots, Questlove. Kevin's exceptional achievements are all, of course, executed with impeccable style in the clothing from his design collaboration."

Banana Republic is owned by Gap Inc., the parent company of brands including namesake label Gap and Old Navy. Though the company has experienced struggles with meeting expected sales through its brands, Banana Republic has been one of its highest performers in recent months.  

The limited-edition Banana Republic x Kevin Love capsule is available in select U.S. stores and online now.