England football legend invests in golf apparel brand

Footballer Harry Kane has moved into the world of golf apparel.

England’s all-time record goalscorer, who currently plays for Bayern Munich, has invested in sustainable performancewear brand Reflo in its first seed funding round, which has so far raised around £1 million.

Reflo, the brand, says, “focuses on sustainability, performance, and style, specialising in golf but also catering for gym goers, runners and other sports like tennis and padel”, which is predominantly made from recycled polyester derived from single-use plastic waste destined for landfill. This means its fabrics uses 50% less energy and produces 70% less carbon than virgin polyester as it requires no new oil.

And that was enough to convince Kane to get involved.

“I want to invest in a company and brand that connects with my own values around a more sustainable future, and ensuring a world where golf performance and sustainability can co-exist makes me very excited,” the former Tottenham striker explained.

“Hearing what the team at Reflo have planned shows me they have ambitious growth targets to help make sustainability and golf performance as prominent as possible and I can’t wait to be a part of this.

“As a footballer, I understand the importance of pushing boundaries and setting new standards, and that’s exactly what the team have shown me. The vision for the brand is incredible, and I can’t wait to be a part of it.”

Such is the alignment between athlete and brand, Kane is also the lead investor to support Reflo’s mission to become the most sustainable apparel brand in the world. The funding round has also seen other investors comprising athletes, green technology firms, and creative services.

The funding round will support Reflo’s production and business operations, particularly in material sourcing, staff, and production factory choices. Reflo will also use the investment to continue its forest regeneration work alongside partners Ecologi and Eden Reforestation Project.

As a scratch golfer, Kane initially wore the brand playing golf at The Icons Series in July 2022. He has since worn Reflo behind the scenes for over a year, and now will become Reflo’s golf ambassador wearing the brand officially whilst playing in Pro-Am and exhibition competitions, and practising.

• How to tell what year your Titleist Pro V1 is from

• How often should you change your golf ball?

Having already planted more than 42,000 trees and recycled the equivalent of over 500,000 plastic bottles, Reflo continues to drive its sustainability mission by pledging to plant 500 trees for every goal that the Bayern Munich and England star scores in the 2023/24 season.

Reflo co-founder Rory Macfadyen said: “Since meeting Harry at The Icons Series last summer, we’ve kept an open dialogue with him and his team. Not only do they love the product, but they also truly believe in changing the game when it comes to sustainability and performance in sport.

“We have achieved so much in the two years since our launch, and it is an incredibly exciting time for us to welcome Harry into the Reflo family. We can’t wait to show everyone what we’ve got in store as we continue our mission to become the most sustainable apparel brand in the world.”

Reflo recently launched its Spring-Summer collection, focusing on versatility, performance and style, with lightweight and breathable fabrics. The products are designed to work across different sporting activities, going against the belief that you need multiple products for each different sport.

The brand further extends its sustainable innovations in the latest range, including the golf industry’s first circular apparel solution, named Reloop, with garments designed to be recycled at the end of use. Also, Reflo embeds used coffee grounds in its fabrics to enhance technical and performance features of certain garments.

Reflo continues to embed itself in the sports industry, being seen as Official Apparel Partners for events including Extreme E team Veloce in motorsports, Icons Series and WM Phoenix Open in golf, and now, football.

To find out more about Reflo, head to their website here.