My friends, as you well know, I am one The original penguin kind of guy.
I’m all iconic retro-cool with a nice mid-century vibe. It aligns with the core of who I am.
In my mind, at least.
All jokes aside, the original Penguin (or OP for those of us in the know) is a staple in this guy’s closet. I even love the brand’s new hashtag:
#OriginalGoodTime.
I can work with that.
Anyhoo, Original Penguin is launching it Men’s Spring Collection 2026 this week and this retro-cool-iconic-nice mid-century guy is happy to be here for it.
Penguin Original Spring Collection: OP IS OG
You can make a compelling case that the original Penguin IS OG for casual sportswear. Launched by Munsingwear in 1955, Pete the Penguin (that’s really his name) was a favorite of sports stars like Arnie, Sinatra, Hope and Crosby.
The 70s and 80s were not kind to both Pete and Munsingwear, who filed for bankruptcy in 1991. The original Penguin lay dormant until 1996 when it was snapped up by Perry Ellis. OP was relaunched in the early 2000s as a heritage golf and lifestyle brand.
Which brings us to Spring 2026 Collection which, according to the press release, is “a refined expression of the brand’s iconic heritage, infused with modern performance innovation for today’s player.”
I don’t know about you, but that’s the kind of talk that gets me inside.
“We are building on the heritage that defines the original Penguin while introducing modern fabrics and fits that meet the expectations of today’s consumer,” says Perry Ellis CEO Oscar Feldenkreis. “It’s clothing designed to perform at the highest level, but still feels light and versatile off course.”
A unique combination
It would be easy to cook more of the retro-cool vibe but The original penguin brings it out nicely. It also does something I wouldn’t have thought possible: styles and colors pop and are understated at the same time. This Pete’s Watercolor Study golf polo is as wild as OP take
The new Spring collection, like almost every other clothing collection we see, is, as the press release explains, “designed to transition seamlessly from the course to the club and beyond.”
Golf, unlike softball, pickleball, or hell, even beer league ice hockey, doesn’t require specific sportswear that would look silly anywhere else. Imagine showing up to work on casual Friday or date night with the lady of your dreams dressed like you’re about to dunk the ball to an open-arm linebacker while the center watches the play for a rebound.
You will not. But you can show up dressed like this:
In fact, I’m pretty sure my wife would i love him if I showed up for date night looking like this.
Durability and REPREVE©
Some clothing brands, most notably Galvin Green, are leading the way in incorporating sustainable materials into their clothing. You can add The original penguin in the mix, as the brand is including REPREVE© recycled yarns in selected pieces.
repr©produced by US-based textile company UNIFI, is a brand of recycled fibers produced primarily from recycled plastic bottles. UNIFI processes those bottles into small plastic flakes which are then melted and extruded into long, thin threads. Those fibers are spun into yarn and woven into fabric.
repr© used by brands such as NIKE, adidas, Patagonia and North Face as well as Original Penguin. It is slightly more expensive than traditional virgin polyester yarn due to the recycling process and third-party verification. In terms of the price of the finished product, however, the difference is literally pennies.
PGA Tour winners Brian Campbell and Nico Echavarria are original Penguin brand ambassadors, as are Max McGreeby, Kristoffer Reitan and Johnny Keefer.
If you’re looking to score some golf-specific OP deals, check it out Pete’s invitation. Some of the items are in limited sizes, but the discounts go up to 73 percent off.
