Bros Who Can Sew

If you surf, you’ve got Hollister. If you play polo you’ve got, well, Polo. And now, thanks to one enterprising Harvard Law School student, those who play lacrosse have Status Flow.

When co-founder Kevin A. Valsi, a second-year student at HLS, launched Status Flow Clothing last year, he was hoping to capitalize on lacrosse’s growing popularity among high school and college students by catering to what he characterized as an under-served subculture.

“I found it interesting and surprising that there weren’t any brands associated with the sport,” said Valsi, who played club lacrosse at the University of Maryland. “There’s a lot of branding built around surfing and skating. You know, niche sports?”

Valsi saw a cultural dichotomy in lacrosse, and he said his main creative obstacle in the design process was negotiating that division. “Lacrosse started out as an Ivy League sport,” he said. “So part of it is very preppy. But another element is very laid back.”

But Crimson lacrosse players were hesitant about that interpretation of the lax scene. Co-captain Sam H. Slaughter ’09, while he agreed that the team doesn’t favor specific brands, said he doesn’t see that as evidence of a sartorial void. “It’s like trying to say: What do all baseball players wear?” he said. “It’s not like a cult; it’s just like any other sport.”

Slaughter, though pleased with lacrosse’s popularity, disagreed with Valsi’s cultural assessment. “Lacrosse isn’t a rich kid, preppy thing or just a hanging out thing. That’s not the attitude the teams take,” he said. “I don’t think that’s what the sport’s about.” Nevertheless, he said he expects the line to do well.

So far, Status Flow has found distribution online and with mid-Atlantic boutique Urban Chic. Alexandra R. Ebright, store manager and merchandiser at the chain’s Baltimore location, said that sales have been “great.” Ebright said she already sees the line as cornering an unexpected market: “It has sold really well to our guy customers just looking for something that can transition from playing sports to going out at night.”

Valsi, who is working on expanding nationally, is optimistic about the future possibilities of lacrosse culture. He explains that the culture is even reflected in his company’s name: “‘Flow’ is the lacrosse mullet. It’s a longer hairstyle.” Stylish.