Olajuwon Ajanuku and Earl Cooper are injecting street style elements into apparel and accessories while meeting traditional guidelines for golf dress. Their brand, Eastside Golf, is often worn on—and off—the fairway.
Olajuwon and Earl’s fresh take on an established industry has caught the attention of partners like Michael Jordan and Mercedes Benz. Through Eastside Golf, the duo is bringing more people to the game, while making the sport more inclusive and welcoming.
A logo that represents the brand and beyond
Olajuwon and Earl met at Morehouse College, where they both played golf and won the Annual PGA Minority Collegiate Golf Championship together. While Olajuwon went on to a finance career, his love of golf stayed constant in his life. Wanting to see himself represented in the sport, Olajuwon merged two photos of himself into a logo for Eastside Golf. “It’s a photo of him as a child swinging a golf club,” explains Earl, “Then there’s another photo of him with a gold chain. … So, in combination, it represents being your true, authentic self [and] the freedom [of] just getting up there and crushing it.”
It’s a logo that had people stopping him in the streets.
Before launching the brand, Olajuwon showed Earl the logo mockup. Earl suggested Olajuwon put it on a shirt and start wearing it. This led to the duo accidentally getting validation for the brand. “[I] put it on a t- shirt, ironed it on, and went [to] downtown Detroit for a couple of hours. I maybe got stopped, like, 120, 130 times,” recalls Olajuwon. “From there, I was like, damn, I got something.”
Belief, grind, and grit to get the brand off the ground
Being stopped in the streets just for wearing a sample logo was validating. Still, it didn’t lead to launch capital or logistical know-how.
“When I started this business, I had an eviction notice on my apartment door,” says Olajuwon. “I maxed out the credit cards, maxed out the 401(k), sold all my cryptocurrencies.”
At the same time, Olajuwon was also dealing with logistical issues. “I was literally packing the first 3,000 orders, and I filled up all the blue canisters at all USPSs two hours out from my apartment,” he says. “So I gotta find the next USPS post office. And I’m traveling from Detroit, two hours out to Indiana, just trying to find somewhere to ship out the packages. At the end of the day, it takes belief, grind, [and] grit. Sometimes there is no plan B.”
Seeing how dedicated Olajuwon was to the brand, Earl was convinced to join him on his journey. Together, they made Eastside Golf their plan A and caught the eye of one legendary athlete.
Building a golf brand for everyone
Golf courses and country clubs often are ladened with rules and guidelines, and clothing is no exception. Olajuwon and Earl created pieces of attire and accessories that met these guidelines, while injecting contemporary design elements. Their insider knowledge of golf and preference for streetwear meant Eastside Golf became the outfit of choice both on and off the golf course.
“Whether you’re a miniature golfer, a putt-putt golfer, we [also] have guys like Wyatt Worthington competing in the PGA championship, we make apparel for you,” says Earl. “We often like to say you don’t [even] have to play golf in order to wear Eastside Golf.”
Having this sense of approachability built into the brand allows Olajuwon and Earl to instill their value of inclusivity in each decision they make for Eastside Golf.
It’s also the reason why Michael Jordan noticed the brand.
“He called us pioneers of the game. And he said that because we’re doing something that he’s tried to do within Jordan Golf. He knows exactly how hard it is,” says Olajuwon. “We’re trying to take golf to culture—culture is for everybody. When I say culture, culture is just non-traditional. If you’re into non-tradition, I don’t care what color you are, then you’re into Eastside Golf.”
For more on how Eastside Golf scaled, listen to the full episode of Shopify Masters.
