Reflo’s collection for the WM Open
The Waste Management (WM) Phoenix Open is a mega event on the US PGA Tour and takes place from February 8-11. The special feature: At times, more than 500,000 spectators are counted during the tournament week. On the 16th hole, the pros are loudly celebrated by around 20000 spectators. And: It is considered the largest waste-free sporting event in the world!
The British brand for sustainable functional clothing, Reflo has recently renewed its partnership with the tournament and is bringing the Phoenix Surf Club special collection to the sales tee for the golf tournament at the TPC Scottsdale in Arizona.
Surfing in the desert
The concept for the Reflo collection was inspired by an unexpected twist when Arizona became an unlikely surf capital in September 1969 with the opening of Big Surf, the world’s first true inland surfing facility. After a remarkable journey, the facility closed its doors in 2022 after being purchased by a Californian real estate developer.
In response, Reflo has designed the Phoenix Surf Club – a curated collection of exceptional, sustainable apparel that pays homage to Arizona’s remarkable history as an unexpected surfing center in the US.
The product designs in the new collection are inspired by a mixture of golf, surfing, water and the desert. Each garment features a unique limited edition patch and the collection includes 3 hoodies, 2 polo shirts and 1 T-shirt. Only 400 of each garment were produced and are available exclusively in the retail tent at the WM Phoenix Open and on Reflo.com.
Reflo was founded in November 2021 and transforms single-use plastic that belongs in landfill and discarded coffee grounds into technical sportswear. As the functional clothing is mainly made from recycled polyester, Reflo fabrics consume 50% less energy and produce 70% less carbon than new polyester and do not require new oil.
Circular economy with Reloop project
The operational staff at the WM Phoenix Open will be wearing the Bohai 2.0 polo shirt during the tournament. This is the first product to utilize Reflo’s new “Reloop” initiative, a circular clothing solution where garments are designed to be recycled at the end of their use. Reflo ensures that Reloop clothing is made from monofiber, meaning that 100% of the product is made from some form of recycled material. Reloop enables customers to send their used clothing back for recycling.
Reflo was a partner of the 2023 tournament and recycled the equivalent of 14768 plastic bottles used for the tournament’s clothing and planted 923 trees. This year, Reflo will recycle the equivalent of 36200 plastic bottles and plant over 1,600 trees – one for every product sold on the Reflo website and at the event, as well as for every item of clothing supplied to employees.
Reflo co-founder Rory MacFadyen says: “It’s hard not to be fascinated by the story behind Big Surf, so we wanted to pay our own tribute with the Phoenix Surf Club Capsule Collection, and we’re really pleased with how the designs have turned out. It’s great to be part of the World Championship Phoenix Open again this year. For eleven years in a row, this tournament has been recognized as the largest zero-waste sporting event in the world. Reflo was founded to disrupt an industry full of ‘greenwashing’ when it comes to sustainability, so we are proud to be working with a sporting event that is truly setting the standard in sustainability.”
Incidentally, it is regrettable that industry leader Puma has also launched “sustainable” golf clothing in recent years as part of the Tour event, but this time the collection from Rickie Fowler, Kygo, Palm Tree Crew and Puma is no longer explicitly made from recycled materials.
