Kevin Love Designed a Portland-Inspired Fashion Line For Banana Republic

The collection, called BR/K.LOVE-18, is meant to merge "the rugged style of the Northwest with elevated tailoring."

IMAGE: Keith Allison.
By Matthew Singer

Basketball season is upon us, which means that basketball pre-game wardrobe season is also just about here. But while Russell Westbrook is somewhere cutting the nipples out of a bunch of $500 vintage rock tees and welding old bike chains into a Utilikilt, Portland's own Kevin Love is out here dressing like…well, like a dude who grew up in Lake Oswego.

The last man left on Cavaliers island—who attended Lake Oswego High School and played Little League with the Warriors' Klay Thompson—has collaborated with Banana Republic on a new clothing line the All-Star forward says was  partially inspired by his Portland upbringing.

"Growing up in Oregon, wearing functional warm layers was what you had to every day," Love says in a promotional Q&A on the Banana Republic website. "That approach to style really influences how I get dressed—I definitely wanted that to be reflected in the collection."

The collection, called BR/K.LOVE-18, is meant to merge "the rugged style of the Northwest with elevated tailoring." It includes an olive raincoat with camo lining, buffalo plaid-lined leather and "classic" cargo pants with tuxedo tabs.

Along with rainy Portland winters, Love says the clothes are influenced by "classic films, old Hollywood style, photography and my belief that fashion should be timeless." In other words, the kind of threads that go great with averaging a double-double while finishing 13th in the Eastern Conference.

Related: A Guide to Portland Fashion, From Stripper Clothes to Mom Jeans.

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