A new Kiwi golfwear label called Albi is quietly making its way onto some of New Zealand's most exclusive fairways — and its 23-year-old brand manager has a story as interesting as the polos.
Jemima Hawkesby, granddaughter of billionaires Graeme and Robyn Hart, took over as head of brand marketing and PR for Albi last month. The brand is owned by a private group that includes her uncle Harry Hart, a keen golfer who captains a team at his annual Closeburn Classic tournament in Queenstown, squaring off against Zuru co-founder Nick Mowbray.
Albi positions itself as a New Zealand-born golf and lifestyle label, mixing classic golf style with a modern cut. The first range covers polos, shorts, skirts, trousers, sweaters and caps, built from Australasian merino and technical fabrics with UV protection and details like towelling-lined pockets. Pricing is still being locked in, but the benchmark is high-end US label Greyson Clothiers, where polos run about $200.
Distribution is deliberately tight. By the end of this month Albi will be stocked only at a small group of premium golf clubs around the country — starting with Tara Iti north of Auckland, where Hawkesby's family are shareholders, and rolling out to Te Arai Links, Jack's Point in Queenstown and Arrowtown Golf Club over the coming months. For travellers, that's a useful clue: if you're playing New Zealand's best courses this summer, you'll likely see Albi in the pro shop before anywhere else.
The brand philosophy leans on the albatross — three under par on a single hole, a nod also to the country's famous seabird — and the motto "In Quiet Pursuit". Beyond apparel, Albi is getting its first big public outing as producer of the apparel and merchandise for Superette at Kiwibank Chasing the Fox at Royal Auckland & Grange Golf Club on December 11, plus support for amateur golfers, with a particular focus on young women in the sport.
Hawkesby's path to the job was anything but smooth-sailing. After marketing roles with NZME in Dunedin during her Otago commerce degree, and a PR stint at skincare brand Antipodes in Wellington — secured only after more than 60 rejections — she followed her cricketer boyfriend to the UK and worked with Antipodes' team in Harpenden, near London. Back in Auckland, she's now working on Albi's second collection, with Australia and the US flagged as future markets.
For holidaymakers who golf, Albi is worth a look as something genuinely local: homegrown design, merino suited to changeable Kiwi conditions, and a launch footprint tied to the country's top-tier courses. If your trip includes Tara Iti, Te Arai Links or a Queenstown round, you can pick up the range in person — and a piece of it doubles as a souvenir that actually works on the course back home.
