In the fashion world, golfcore is still on the rise. What began as a subtle nod to the relaxed, off-duty elegance of icons like Princess Diana, this luxury aesthetic has evolved into a full-blown aesthetic, infiltrating street style, high fashion, and athletic wear.
This trend has given rise to a new wave of brands looking to redefine what it means to dress for the green. Among them, Los Angeles-based curated retailer Erthe Golf is making a distinct mark, not by manufacturing apparel, but by mastering the art of curation and creative direction. At the helm of this vision is Yuanchao Zhang, a multidisciplinary designer whose innovative approach is reshaping the digital and cultural experience of golf fashion and the rise of golfcore.
Zhang, who serves as the Art Director for Erthe Golf, is at the intersection of sport, style, and technology with a background in Web3 communities and a passion for culture. He shares his insights on the evolution of golf fashion, the identity of Erthe, and the groundbreaking digital experiences he is crafting for the modern consumer.
The Genesis of Golfcore: From Nostalgia to Evolution
The rise of golf-inspired fashion didn’t happen in a vacuum. It was part of a larger cultural reset, where comfort, heritage, and a renewed interest in classic silhouettes took center stage. Zhang pinpointed the shift to the 2021 zeitgeist, a moment awash in 1990s nostalgia.
“I started to notice golf fashion gaining real traction around 2021,” Zhang explains. “It began when people revisited 1990s British casual style, especially Princess Diana’s off-duty looks, and realized how effortless and versatile those silhouettes were. At the same time, golf was being reinterpreted across design, music, and lifestyle circles.”
For Zhang, this wasn’t just about aesthetics; it was a shift in mentality. He saw how streetwear and performance wear began to blend with classic tailoring, creating a new aesthetic space where function met elegance. This fusion signaled a departure from golf’s historically exclusive image. “What caught my attention was the change in attitude,” he notes. “Golfwear was no longer about exclusivity but about focus, precision, and quiet confidence.”
This observation became the seed for Erthe. For Zhang, the movement is less about a simple nostalgic callback and more about a cultural evolution. “It reflects how people today balance discipline with creativity, structure with freedom,” he says. “That idea became the foundation for Erthe.”
Erthe: A Curation Mindset in a Saturated Market
In a Direct to Consumer market now flooded with tenniscore, golfcore, and other sports-inspired lifestyle brands, standing out requires more than just a preppy logo. Erthe’s secret weapon is that it isn’t a traditional apparel label, at all. Rather, it is a meticulously curated multi-brand store, a digital concept boutique built around a specific philosophy of style, offering various high profile brands.
“We saw that as golf fashion grew in popularity, many products started to look the same, focused only on performance or old money aesthetics,” Zhang says. “Erthe wants to redefine that space through a styling mindset.”
Instead of designing its own line, Erthe curates pieces from a global selection of independent and performance-driven designers, including Keypote, Head Golf, Lend Golf, WAAC, Lanvin Blanc, and Golden Bear. The goal is to bring individuality and modernity back to golfwear. Each selection is made with versatility in mind, designed to flow naturally between the golf course and daily life.
“You can wear golfcore to brunch, to work, or to a night event without it feeling out of place,” Zhang emphasizes. This philosophy is central to the brand’s mission, articulated by Erthe founder Ellie: “Players define the game, Erthe inspires individuality.”
The brand seeks to break traditional confines, providing golfers and sports enthusiasts with more options to express their personality, proving that performance can indeed feel elevated.
The Creative Director’s Vision: A Digital Concept Store
As Art Director, Zhang is responsible for translating Erthe’s philosophy into a tangible, or rather, digital, experience; one that is intuitive, aesthetically pleasing and easy to navigate. The Erthe website is not a mere e-commerce platform; it is an extension of the brand’s curated identity.
“The website is built to reflect how Erthe curates and redefines golf culture through design,” Zhang states. “It is structured like a digital concept store, where each page feels purposeful and composed.”
The design focuses on blending product discovery with styling inspiration. Zhang utilizes his expertise in innovative technology, employing AI visualization tools to show customers how pieces can be worn, layered, and combined. This moves beyond static product shots into a more intuitive, dynamic shopping experience. “The layout stays simple and direct, with clean grids, soft transitions, and calm tones that keep attention on the products,” he adds. “Our goal is to let people understand Erthe’s taste and styling logic while shopping in a way that feels natural and personal.”
This vision is also reflected in Erthe’s campaign shoots, which function as styling references rather than traditional advertisements. The campaigns are “real and relaxed,” showcasing how different looks—from Minimalist and Clean to Sporty and Performance or Classic and Preppy—can be achieved using pieces from Erthe’s selection. By focusing on light, movement, and texture, these visual narratives demonstrate how golfcore can adapt to different personalities and settings, especially for someone shopping for the right golfcore look.
Influences and Inspirations: The Legacy of Self-Expression
Zhang’s creative approach is deeply informed by broader cultural movements, particularly one he identifies as being led by artist A$AP Rocky. This movement, which saw formalwear and luxury fashion merge with street culture, fundamentally changed the rules of style.
“He once said that coming from the bottom, dressing well was one of the few ways he could claim dignity,” Zhang explains. “That idea reshaped how people think about style. It turned fashion into a form of self-expression rather than a symbol of hierarchy.”
Zhang sees a direct parallel between this ethos and the modern golfcore movement. “I see golfcore as part of that same evolution, transforming something once traditional into something open and personal,” he explains. “What attracts me is this balance between discipline and attitude, function and culture, where fashion feels both effortless and meaningful.”
The Future is Now: AI and Personalized Style in 2026
Perhaps the most ambitious aspect of Zhang’s work at Erthe is his push to integrate cutting-edge technology directly into the customer journey. He is currently developing an AI stylist experience designed to transform the online store into an interactive styling space.
“Our next step is to build an AI stylist experience on the website,” Zhang reveals. “It will help customers create outfits based on their style preferences and mood. By analyzing colors, silhouettes, and textures, the system can suggest combinations from our curated selection.”
This initiative is the culmination of the brand’s “AI creative web experience campaign,” an interactive styling tool Zhang describes as “playful and intuitive, like building your own style map.”
Here’s how it works: Customers answer a short series of visual questions about their preferences—color palette, fit, pattern, weather, and activity level. Each answer generates a visual card, forming a personalized moodboard in real-time. The system then analyzes these choices, considering factors like climate and occasion, to recommend full outfit combinations from Erthe’s curated inventory. It makes shopping easier and much faster.
“The goal is to make shopping more creative, personal, and visually guided,” Zhang says. “Instead of scrolling through endless products, users see how different pieces connect to their taste and lifestyle.”
What’s Next for Erthe?
With a strong brand identity, a clear creative vision, and a pioneering approach to digital retail, Erthe Golf is well-positioned at the forefront of the golf fashion movement. Yuanchao Zhang’s work exemplifies how a creative director can do more than design; they can architect an entire ecosystem of culture, community, and commerce.
As golf continues to shed its staid reputation and embrace a new generation of players who value style as much as sport, brands like Erthe will lead the way. By blending the discipline of the game with the freedom of personal expression, and using technology to make that blend accessible to all, Zhang and the Erthe team are not just participating in the rise of golfcore—they are actively defining its future.
For more information on Erthe Golf, visit their website at erthe.com.
