In a time when most companies are scaling back on celebrity and athlete endorsements, Silver Star Casting Company owner Luke Burrett is devoting all his resources to making his company the king of extreme lifestyle fashion.
“I had to go full throttle and get the best athletes,” Burrett said. Silver Star signees include Thiago Silva, Georges St-Pierre, Rashad Evans, Anderson Silva, Antonio Rodrigo Nogueira, Rich Franklin and others. “I didn’t want to cut back during the recession. I purchased a new trade show booth to introduce my new collections and increased public relations and advertising money to get Silver Star out there.”
The risks paid off. Silver Star has been getting into approximately 25 new stores a week since the beginning of the year. With online sales up 600% from last year, a rapid influx of orders for Silver Star’s new T-shirt collection even caused the website to crash in February, according to Burrett.
Though the name Silver Star isn’t as well known in MMA circles as Affliction or TapouT, the company was founded 1993, when Motley Crue drummer Tommy Lee was one of its first customers and the company had a large following of motorcycle, skateboard and tattoo aficionados. “Silver Star is an extreme and action sports lifestyle clothing brand,” Burrett explained while describing the signature series collection that MMA fighters names and priced around $40.
Slight design differences contributed to Silver Star’s profitable business. The shirts are made from premium stack materials and are cut to fit the body opposed to standard cotton T-shirts that give no shape or show the wearer’s body. Several of the shirts have front cut and sew treatments that trace the collarbone to further accentuate the broadness of the shoulder. The sewing and stitching on the sides decrease the lower part of the shirt, giving the appearance of a smaller waist, creating an overall “V” shape (broad shoulders and small waist).
The man who styled the Cage Fashion Show 2 and one of New York City’s top stylists, Rodney Hall, said, “I love Silver Star. It has a much more real design direction compared to others.”
Burrett took major financial risks that garnered attention from both the MMA and fashion world. Burrett’s company isn’t the biggest player in the industry but if he keeps putting high-end product on high-end fighters, it won’t be long before Silver Star is shining the brightest.
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