Jack Carlson has come a long way since creating the cult menswear brand Rowing Blazers in 2017. In the past seven years he has partnered with everyone from Target to Gucci on buzzworthy collaborations, built a following among updated preppy fans, and even attracted the attention of Burch Creative Capital, which purchased a majority stake in the business in February.
Carlson, who has a Ph.D. in archaeology from Oxford University, was a coxswain on the U.S. national rowing team, and is the author of “A Humorous Guide to Heraldry” and “Rowing Blazers,” a coffee-table book about the “authentic striped, piped, trimmed and badged” jackets worn by oarsman around the world.
On Friday night, Carlson celebrated the revised and expanded edition of “Rowing Blazers” with a book-signing event at the New York Athletic Club that also served as a fundraiser for Row New York’s youth rowing programs. That book, which was published 10 years ago, has been updated to reflect the growing diversity, inclusivity and ubiquity of the sport — and preppy culture.
The new edition features many new clubs and teams including the Nassau Rowing Club in the Bahamas and the Tigre Boat Club in Argentina as well as the University of Washington club in the U.S., which was featured in the recent film “The Boys in the Boat.”
The book has been revised and expanded.
Alex Kent
“The fashion world, the connotations and meaning of the word ‘preppy’ and, of course, the sport of rowing have changed enormously since the original edition of the book,” Carlson said. “The sport is far more diverse than it used to be, which is a great thing to see. The blazer tradition is much more widespread, and ‘preppy’ means something different now too: less stuffy, less elitist, more fun, more colorful.”
He said the event represented “a full-circle moment for me. I never imagined all the things we would do with the brand. And it all began with a book. So much has changed since then, in fashion and also in the sport of rowing, mostly for the better. I’d like to think that the Rowing Blazers brand has contributed to that in some small way. The new book reflects those changes. I’m also proud of the money we’ve raised for Row New York, which is an amazing organization here in New York City providing access to the sport for so many kids who might never have had the opportunity to try it.”
The event, which drew more than 400 people, raised more than $170,000 for Row New York and attendees included actor Luke Slattery from “The Boys in the Boat,” as well as U.S. Olympic Team member Brooke Mooney.