Centric Brands continues to add to its portfolio.

Shortly after buying a stake in the John Elliott brand, the New York-based brand collective has created a joint venture with Eastside Golf, a streetwear-infused golf-inspired collection that seeks to bring diversity to the sport.

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Eastside was founded by Olajuwon Ajanaku, a former professional golfer and entrepreneur, in 2019. Earl Cooper, his friend and former teammate on the Morehouse College golf team who had become a PGA professional, joined him as cofounder in 2020. Since then, Eastside has become known for its Swingman logo — an illustration Ajanaku created of himself in jeans and a sweatshirt sporting a gold chain — and has been worn by NBA players Chris Paul and Jayson Tatum, NFL greats Patrick Mahomes and Victor Cruz, musician DJ Khaled and President Barack Obama, among others. The brand has also partnered with Mercedes-Benz, Citi, Sprite and the NBA, has created sneakers for Nike’s Jordan brand and had a six-part docuseries on Hulu.

At Centric, Eastside Golf will join John Elliott, Favorite Daughter, Jennifer Fisher and Palm Tree Crew within a Sports, Luxury and Emerging Designers division overseen by Andrew Berg as president.

The new partnership with Centric will help support Eastside’s sourcing, distribution, marketing and international expansion goals.

“Welcoming Eastside Golf into our portfolio through this joint venture is a significant step forward for our Sports, Luxury, and Emerging Designers division,” said Jason Rabin, chief executive officer of Centric Brands. “They have built a brand that resonates far beyond the fairway, blending sport and style in a way that feels essential. By combining Eastside’s vision with our global reach and operational resources, we aim to grow the brand’s footprint while staying true to the community they’ve built, and we’re proud to help guide this next chapter.”

Berg added: “Eastside Golf represents a powerful evolution of the sport, where culture, design, and performance converge. This is a brand built to compete on-course with the best performance labels in golf, and off-course with the fashion brands shaping culture.”

“This partnership marks an important next chapter for Eastside Golf,” said Cooper. “Centric understands how to scale brands without compromising identity, which was critical for us. With this support, we’re able to deepen our focus on the brand, partnerships and community while building a foundation for sustainable, long-term growth.”

Eastside Golf’s distribution strategy currently spans four pillars: independent sneaker stores such as Sneaker Politics; lifestyle retailers including Nordstrom; performance shops such as Golf Galaxy and green grass stores including Pebble Beach.

Centric’s portfolio includes licenses with more than 100 brands including Under Armour, Faherty, Calvin Klein, Tommy Hilfiger, Joe’s Jeans, Dockers, Off-White, Coach and Vince. It also has an entertainment division where it works with Disney, Marvel, Warner Bros. and others. It also owns several brands including Robert Graham, Avirex and Hudson.

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