Sailmaker North Sails, official clothing supplier of the 36th America’s Cup presented by Prada, has dropped a fresh batch of gear ahead of the 2021 race.
To be clear, no, this is not actual Prada — the luxury house merely sponsors the competition and has no involvement in North Sails' manufacturing process — and yes, some of the bits pack a little too much dad-scooping-beers-with-the-boys-at-the-golf-clubhouse energy, but overall, it isn't half bad. There are some neat technical jackets featuring GORE-TEX technology; casual tees that work for both exercising and knocking around in, and the obligatory dad cap that can be worn ironically, should you still be stuck in 2018. It's affordable, solid enough stuff from a brand that has tried to do right by the environment, with over 20 million plastic bottles said to have been used during the production process.
North Sails has been supplying sails to the America’s Cup for decades, but this tournament marks its first attempt at producing apparel. Prada has sponsored Italian outfit Luna Rossa (whose own merch is worth a gander) since their founding in 1997, which eventually led to the Linea Rossa sub-line. Louis Vuitton had been the naming rights sponsor of the challenger series since 1980, but was replaced by its fashion rival in 2018.
