About Us

At Rowing Blazers, we believe in the classics. But our approach to the classics is anything but stuffy; it’s youthful, inclusive, irreverent - and a little ironic.

We can’t stand pretentiousness, but we do love being authentic and genuine. We believe in doing things the right way: ethically, sustainably, and using traditional fabrics and construction techniques. That’s why we make blazers and other kit for some of the world’s leading sporting and social clubs - including the U.S. national rowing and rugby teams.

Rowing Blazers weaves together an eclectic mix of influences: British and American student culture; Japan’s subversive take on “Ivy” style; tongue-in-cheek ‘80s “preppie” tropes; the old New York; hip-hop culture and the rise of streetwear; elite and amateur sport in all its forms; the romance of travel and exploration; and symbols, art, and archaeology - ancient and modern.

These influences are the interests of Rowing Blazers’ founder, Jack Carlson. A three-time member of the U.S. rowing team, Henley Royal Regatta champion, and World Championships medalist, Jack is also an author and an archaeologist. He wrote the coffee-table book Rowing Blazers while he was a doctoral student at Oxford. The book, which records many of the sport’s eccentric blazer traditions and traces the history of the blazer from its origins as a warm-up jacket for oarsmen, formed the basis for the brand.

Today, Rowing Blazers is known for its youthful, self-aware, and ironic take on “preppy” style; its highly sought-after limited-edition and often irreverent capsule collections and collaborations with legendary brands like Barbour, Sperry, Puma, Noah, Lands’ End, Eric Emanuel, J. Press and Beams; and, most importantly, its sense of community - which manifests itself in partnerships with artists, musicians, student organizations, iconic eating and drinking establishments, and charitable causes, including our primary charitable partner, Row New York.