George Zimmer designed a line of college football-themed tuxes for ESPN

You might regret the way you look on New Year’s Eve.

George Zimmer, America’s avuncular sartorial ambassador, teamed up with ESPN to create a line of college football-themed tuxedos for the night’s two bowl games, called “The New Year’s Eve Collection.”

The line consists of four suits draped in the team’s colors: Clemson University (a very bright orange), University of Alabama (a “classic houndstooth” made from wool), Michigan State University (that includes “stylish epaulettes”) and University of Oklahoma (also made from wool, but includes a wagon wheel button). Combined, the cheesy designs are make for one bright shade of silly publicity.

Enticing? Well, the Zimmer-designed tuxes won’t be sold in stores — to say nothing of the Men’s Warehouse, where he was forced from his chief executive role in 2013. Fans cans enter to win one of 10 suits on his startup’s website, Generation Tux.

“New Year’s Eve is one of the most festive occasions of the year – and one that certainly calls for a tux,” Zimmer told ESPN. “With this collection, we’re making sure guys can now choose to show off their team spirit in unprecedented style.”

“Unprecedented” is certainly word that many aren’t using to describe the gaudy tuxes. For The Win described them more accurately, calling them “plum awful.”

https://digiday.com/?p=152000

More in Marketing

Omnicom is consolidating B2B shop Doremus+Co with Merkley and Partners

The move is part of ongoing consolidation throughout agencies and holding companies as holding companies look for ways to drive efficiencies and boost revenue.

After keeping them at arm’s length, sports brands are opening the door to creators

The PGA and soccer club Juventus are taking a more progressive approach to creator-based marketing.

Car brands from BMW to Volkswagen lean into in-car gaming

The long-term potential for in-car gaming extends far beyond the relatively brief moments in which drivers are charging or filling their cars. As more vehicles become fully autonomous, drivers’ eyeballs no longer have to be focused on the road, turning them into a potential target for advertisers.