National and local brands have rolled out new collaborations celebrating the fusion of basketball and Indianapolis in honor of the 2024 NBA All-Star Weekend.
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From hats to handbags, these business partnerships showcase all the ways the NBA festivities can be paired with celebrity, fashion, food and entertainment. If you’re lucky, you can snag an accessory or join these experiences at pop-ups around downtown.
Check out these collabs.
Lids and St. Elmo’s Steak House
Lids, an apparel retailer, is partnering with Indianapolis iconic restaurant St. Elmo’s Steak House to offer limited edition hats and outerwear that celebrate Indiana’s love affair with basketball.
Some of the headwear in the collection, which you can get in either black or white, feature the St. Elmo’s Steak House logo. Other St. Elmo/Lids branded headwear sport the restaurant’s name, spelled in letters outlined in blue and orange.
Jackets, also featuring the restaurant’s logo, have similar lettering and white and blue stars up and down the sleeves.
The collection is only available at Lid’s Homegrown Basketball Pop-up at 50 S. Meridian St. Over the course of the weekend, basketball fans can meet and take photos with NBA talent and get autographs from participating athletes. The pop-up shop will also sell other athletic gear.
The event hosted retired Indiana Pacer Jalen Rose from 1-2 p.m. on Saturday.
The pop-up is free and open to all ages. It’s open until Monday, Feb. 19. The shop is open from 10 a.m. to 10 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday and from 10 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Monday.
Howl + Hide and GangGang
Leather goods maker Howl + Hide and the cultural development organization GANGGANG, the minds that launched Butter: A Fine Art Fair in Indianapolis, have unveiled a new basketball theme collaboration that pays homage to the use of leather in NBA basketballs.
In a video shared on Instagram, Howl + Hide, which has a retail store on Virginia Avenue in Fountain Square, said every basketball used in the league is made of leather from Chicago-based Horween Leather Co.
Owner and designer Christian Resiak used the same leather to craft bags and accessories that now for sale at Howl + Hide. Proceeds from the project support GANGGANG.
Items also will be on display at The Suite on 10 W. Washington St. in downtown Indianapolis.
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Nap or Nothing and Ruffles
Ruffles, the title partner for the 2024 Ruffles NBA All-Star Celebrity Game, is invading local streetwear shop Nap or Nothing this weekend to host a pop-up event for All-Star Weekend fans.
Basketball enthusiasts can stop by the Mass Ave. shop for Ruffles’ Ridgeline experience and attempt a long-range shot from the Ruffle Ridgeline for a chance to win autographed gear and the chance to meet NBA star Jayson Tatum of the Boston Celtics and WNBA star A’ja Wilson of the Las Vegas Aces.
The pop-up experience is open from noon until 6 p.m. on Saturday and Sunday.
Ruffles is the official chip of the NBA and WNBA. Nap or Nothing, owned by local businessman and hip hop artist Antonio Maxie, is located at 525 Massachusetts Ave.
Contact IndyStar investigative reporter Alexandria Burris at [email protected]. Follow her on X, formerly Twitter, at @allyburris.
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