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https://levelwear.com

Hyman Ngo, SVP of Product & Marketing at Levelwear, joins us to talk through the brand’s evolution from a behind-the-scenes apparel manufacturer to a powerhouse in wholesale and licensing — and now, their pivot into DTC.

For brand leaders scaling from golf, wholesale, or licensing into consumer channels.

What we cover:

• The real reason they acquired a customer’s brand — and how that changed their whole trajectory
• Why golf was the launchpad: how credibility in elite U.S. clubs unlocked growth back home
• How they scaled to 85 of the top 100 U.S. golf courses (and what that did for their reputation)
• The role of licensing (MLB, NHL, PGA) in adding growth and brand legitimacy
• How they finally built their brand narrative (“Team Over Everything” / “Who’s With You”) and why it’s now central to their DTC push

Who this is for: Brand operators in wholesale, licensing, or B2B looking to build emotional connection and consumer pull

What to steal:

• Build credibility in a “clean” market (no legacy baggage) and use it to reposition back home
• Treat brand story as an internal alignment tool — not just external marketing
• Use licensing as a bridge, but don’t lose sight of your brand equity

Unlock the BFCM Command Center: https://triplewhale.com/dtc

Timestamps

00:00 Transitioning from manufacturing to a brand

02:15 Buying Levelwear and early operational challenges

04:40 Breaking into retail and managing order volume

07:20 Slow early growth and breakthrough in the US golf market

10:05 How Levelwear entered top golf courses

12:40 Evolution of golf culture and apparel trends

14:00 Sponsoring pro golfers and athlete partnerships

16:00 Expanding into licensed sports apparel

18:05 Fanatics partnership and industry comparisons

20:00 Crafting Levelwear’s brand message and manifesto

22:30 Launching the "Who's With You" campaign

24:15 Using streaming ads for brand awareness

26:10 How the brand story aligns across sports

27:40 Message consistency in B2B and retail channels

29:00 Levelwear’s path toward nine-figure revenue

30:30 DTC ambitions and where the brand goes next

32:00 Expanding into international golf markets

33:00 The future of independent retail in golf

34:00 Closing thoughts and next steps for Levelwear

Hashtags

#dtcpodcast #levelwear #golfapparel #sportsbusiness #directtoconsumer #ecommercegrowth #brandbuilding #athleisure #golfindustry #sportsmarketing

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