‘Sweatergate’ landed this couple at the heart of a social media firestorm. Here’s why they welcomed it

It was a quiet April morning in Augusta, Georgia, when Stephen and Erica Malbon woke up. Then they checked their phones.

The couple’s lifestyle brand, Malbon Golf, had been swept into a social media storm by an eye-catching Masters outfit donned by ambassador and former world No. 1 Jason Day.

Battle lines were drawn: those who deemed the Australian’s sleeveless vest and baggy pants an affront to the storied tournament — dubbed “a tradition unlike any other” — versus those who welcomed the look as a sorely needed injection of flair into the sport’s wardrobe.

And at the center of the “sweatergate” debate were the Malbons — exactly where they always planned to be.

Partners

It started with not one, but two “I do’s.”

It was 2008 when Erica, co-founder of boutique spa and massage parlor The Now, was told by a friend that there was someone moving to Los Angeles that she should meet.

That mystery man was Stephen, whose work as creator of media brand and magazine Frank151 was seeing him make the cross-country switch from New York to the “City of Angels.”

Within two years, the pair were married. Unbeknownst to Erica, though, her husband was harboring a secret love.

Having fallen for golf at the age of 12, while working his first job on a Virginian course, he had since lost touch with the sport, but the move to Los Angeles revived Stephen’s passion for the game to irrepressible levels.

Desperate to share his fixation with others, in 2012 Stephen launched an Instagram account to act as his own personal “mood board” for the sport. The feed was filled with a wide range of golf-related images, as well as recurring sketches of a cartoon golf ball character.

The reception from his friends — many of whom moved in music, art, fashion and other creative circles — was less than enthusiastic.

“‘Dude, you’re the only one who likes golf. Stop posting photos because we don’t care for it,’” he recalled to CNN.

“They had a very sour feeling about golf because it’s so stuffy … Historically it has been very old and quite heavy — the whole thought of it.

“It’s the apparel, it’s the rules, it’s all of it. It’s the anxiety of feeling like you might not fit in or know how to hold yourself when you’re in that environment.”

Yet in his wife, he found a surprise supporter. The daughter of a golf-mad father, Erica had grown up around the fairway and tracked the steadily rising popularity of her husband’s Instagram with interest.

“30,000 followers later, Erica was like, ‘What do you think about turning your passion into a business?’” Stephen remembered.

“And I said, ‘Well, I do.’”

Stars

The duo launched Malbon Golf in 2017, with Stephen’s anthropomorphic ball character “Buckets” taking center stage as the brand’s logo.

Raising two boys made the effort of starting a new venture even more daunting. Though the pair now oversee different departments of the business, an often precarious work-life balance is par for the course in the Malbon household.

“It’s a family business, so it’s always on,” Erica said.

“We’re always talking about work or something that’s going on at work — there’s just never an escape, so you really have to be ready for that.”

“Everything is work and everything is vacation, kind of at the same time,” Stephen added, “But I wouldn’t wish it any other way.”

The youngest son, now 12 years old, is an “obsessive” golfer, but it is young people at the opposite end of the interest scale who Malbon Golf is targeting.

Combating golf’s “old and heavy” reputation to inspire youth participation in the game is the brand’s “star in the sky,” Erica said, with fashion chosen as the weapon of choice.

Coca-Cola, Nike, Jimmy Choo, Beats by Dre, Formula One and luxury French swimwear brand Vilebrequin make up just a few of the big-name brands Malbon Golf has collaborated with.

The roster has formed the launchpad for product and collection releases, ranging from clothing to footwear and bags. While many products are tied to golf — including putters and own-brand “Tour M” balls — others branch out beyond the fairway, such as tennis rackets and watches released in partnership with Prince and Tag Heuer respectively.

It’s a glitzy lineup that quickly reeled in a host of stars. Justin Timberlake was a follower of the Instagram account long before the first Malbon Golf shop opened its doors on Los Angeles’ Fairfax Avenue, dubbed “the streetwear capital of the world.”

Within months, rappers Travis Scott and ScHoolboy Q had both visited the store, while Justin Bieber became a frequent sighting — initially buying a hat before occasionally popping in en route to the recording studio to hit balls at the shop’s in-house golf simulator.

Attracting Bieber — who regularly shares images of himself golfing to his almost 300 million Instagram followers — and other names popular among young people is a key strategy for the brand.

“Cultural figures (can) make a bigger impact for inspiring young people to play golf than professional golfers,” Erica said.

“Young people don’t relate to Tour players. If you can present somebody that loves a sport who looks cool, who younger people admire … then it’s going to intrigue young people.”

“Maybe there’s a 13-year-old kid, and his grandfather for years has been like, ‘Come on, I want to take you golfing,’” Stephen added. “The kids, like, ‘Nah, I don’t want to, pops. That’s not for me.’ Then he sees Travis Scott doing it and he’s like, ‘Hey, Grandpa, I need to go learn how to golf.’

“I think the acceptance of it [golf] being cool is at an all-time high.”

Sweatergate

That assessment came under rigorous scrutiny at April’s Masters, with tournament officials asking Day to remove his viral vest.

Stephen had “scripted” Day’s tournament wardrobe according to his preferences, with the 36-year-old golfer taking a liking to the loose-fitting outfits worn when rotating between practice and family life at home.

Day’s baggy pants had raised some eyebrows at previous tournaments, but neither Malbon Golf founder had expected — or intended for — such a reaction at Augusta National. Little did they know Day would be paired with Tiger Woods for the first two rounds, increasing the number of eyeballs on the vest that Stephen had assumed the golfer would remove after warming up.

On the ground at Augusta, the fallout was minimal, the duo recalled. Day was unperturbed after being politely asked by tournament officials to take off the top, safely qualifying for the weekend before finishing tied-30th.

Social media was more fervent, but that only proved Oscar Wilde’s age-old adage for Stephen: “The only thing worse than being talked about is not being talked about.”

“I think maybe 10% of the golf world knew who we were, and after that, 90% of the golf world knew who we were,” he added.

For Malbon Golf, it is simply the latest step in its aim to “condition” the golf world into accepting new styles in the game. Stephen draws parallels to basketball icon Allen Iverson, who flaunted the NBA’s mandatory dress code, accepting fines to eschew suits in favor of his trademark hip-hop style.

“Now if you look at a basketball game and you see people walking in, it’s like a walking runway fashion show,” he said.

“When people get uncomfortable, change happens, and without being disrespectful I think that the sport in general has been poised for a little bit of change and a little bit of movement into the future,” Erica added.