Birds of Condor - Teeing Off Tradition with Frankie Kimpton on Golf, Culture and Coastal Cool.

Golf has long been a game of dualities: precision and patience, tradition and quiet rebellion, etiquette and self-expression. Birds of Condor occupies that very sweet spot - not as a disruptor brand trying to overturn the clubhouse, but as a cultural calibrator, gently nudging golfwear into the 21st century. Co-founded by Frankie Kimpton and Zoe Kimpton in Byron Bay, the brand transforms the sport’s sartorial landscape with the same effortless rhythm as a coastal wave rolling onto the sand.

Somewhere between the surf break and the 9th hole, golf got a new dress code.

Rooted in a lifestyle as much as a wardrobe, Birds of Condor marries surf-town nonchalance with the discipline of the fairway, a rare feat in a sector where conformity often masquerades as style. From tongue-in-cheek prints that nod to street and skate subcultures to technical jackets and velour two-pieces that bridge comfort and sophistication, the label has cultivated a visual language that respects golf’s history while making it feel approachable, wearable, and - crucially - fun.

Beyond clothing, Birds of Condor embodies a philosophy: golf as culture, not just competition. The brand’s campaigns feel cinematic, more Tarantino-on-the-green than catalogue shoot, suggesting a world where twilight rounds and weekend escapes carry the same narrative weight as any classic coastal session. It’s a subtle rebellion, one that invites a diverse range of players to step onto the course with personality intact - whether chasing a condor, a dream shot, or simply the joy of the game.

In this conversation, Frankie Kimpton delves into the art of balancing irreverence and respect, the ways Byron Bay’s coastal rhythms inform design, and how a family-run operation has become an international touchpoint in golf culture. With an eye for authenticity, an instinct for collector’s pieces, and a quiet confidence that tradition and self-expression can coexist, Birds of Condor is less about changing the rules of golf and more about expanding who gets to play - and how they get to look while doing it.

Birds of Condor has managed to make golf feel less like a private club and more like a culture. When you first teed off, was the goal to disrupt golf’s starch-pressed etiquette — or to quietly remind everyone that rebellion and respect for the game can co-exist in the same swing?

Frankie Kimpton: When we started out, it wasn’t about kicking doors down or rewriting golf’s rulebook, we just wanted to create a space for people who love the game but didn’t necessarily fit the old mould. You can still respect golf, have a laugh, but rock your own flavour of fashion. Birds was born from that freedom of expression vs. an up tight tradition and it’s really great that they can now share a fairway pretty comfortably.

Your roots in Byron Bay give the brand a kind of laid-back mysticism — part surf break, part Sunday session. How does that coastal energy influence your design philosophy and the way you imagine the modern golfer’s world off the course?

Frankie Kimpton: Byron definitely runs through the veins of what we do. There’s a rhythm here, mornings in the ocean, afternoons on the greens, evenings with family and friends. That sense of ease and connection shapes our approach to design. We’re not just thinking about what people wear on course, but what they do before, after and during. It’s one lifestyle, just different backdrops. Come as you are.

Golf’s recent style renaissance has everyone talking about “new golf.” Between Malbon’s West Coast swagger, Manors’ British polish, and Tyler’s Golf le Fleur daydreams, where does Birds of Condor fit in this constellation - or do you prefer to stay the rogue comet blazing its own orbit?

Frankie Kimpton: We’ve been flying around this scene for close to ten years now, so I guess we’re more of a steady satellite than a rogue comet. We’re stoked to see the energy around golf right now, but we’ve always just done our own thing, staying true to our natural influences and environment. It’s about creating something authentic that lasts longer than the next swing in fashion.

The humour in your brand voice feels perfectly judged - cheeky without being cynical. How do you decide when to wink and when to whisper? And is there a line you’d never cross in golf’s grand, sometimes fragile, tradition of self-seriousness?

Frankie Kimpton: Humour’s part of who we are, it keeps things fun and breaks down walls. Golf can be a bit uptight at times, so a little smile or tongue-in-cheek moment helps bring people in to relax and enjoy the experience. We never take the piss out of the game itself, just the stuffiness that can surround it. There’s a fine line between cheeky and disrespectful, and we always stay on the right side of that. Our goal is to make people feel welcome, not excluded.

Turns out rebellion and respect can share a tee time - and maybe even a cold one after.

The name itself - Birds of Condor - is both an inside joke and a poetic statement. A condor, of course, being the unicorn of golf shots: four under par, so rare it borders on myth. Does the name still serve as a kind of north star for the brand - that idea of chasing the impossible with a grin?

Frankie Kimpton: Absolutely. The name still feels like our compass. A condor’s basically the dream shot, the perfect mix of skill, luck, and magic, and that sums up what we’re chasing as a brand. We don’t take ourselves too seriously, but we care deeply about what we do. It’s about doing something rare, with skill, a smile, and riding that energy that can’t always be explained.

There’s something cinematic about your campaigns - more Tarantino-on-the-green than typical fairway catalogue. Do you storyboard those scenes like mini films, or is it more of a Byron Bay jam session where the light and laughter do the directing?

Frankie Kimpton: That’s a big compliment, thank you! We put a lot of thought into every shoot, and we’re lucky to work with some incredible creatives who really get what Birds is about. We’ll start with a strong concept and never really go straight to the idea that it has to be shot at a golf course. There’s a steady lifestyle pulse to Birds which we love and always try to honour through our creative and campaigns. You can feel that in the final edits, when everyone’s genuinely enjoying themselves, it shows.

Many of your designs tap into subcultural aesthetics - surf tees, skate graphics, coastal minimalism. How do you translate that visual language into a space as historically uniform as golfwear without losing authenticity on either side?

Frankie Kimpton: It’s about respect and balance. We draw from the worlds we grew up in and loved. Surf, street, art and music is the rhythm section and we mix golf in over the top. We’re not trying to dress golf up as something it’s not; we’re just showing that it can live comfortably within those cultures. Authenticity is everything, if it doesn’t feel real, it doesn’t make the cut.

You’ve described Birds of Condor as being “for the other kind of golfer.” If that golfer walked into a traditional clubhouse wearing one of your fits, what reaction would you hope to provoke — a double take, a quiet envy, or a polite scandal?

Frankie Kimpton: Maybe a quiet nod and a grin. We’re not out to shock anyone, but we love sparking curiosity. If someone looks twice and thinks, “That’s cool, I didn’t know golf could look like that,” then we’ve done our job. If we can open the door a little wider and let more people feel like they can walk in and check out what’s playing, that’s great for both Birds and golf.

Between the limited drops, tongue-in-cheek prints, and cultural references, there’s a collector’s energy in your work — like Supreme with a handicap. Are you deliberately cultivating that sense of rarity and cult following, or is it just a natural by-product of doing things your way?

Frankie Kimpton: We love our little injection drops and the evergreen products that really do have that cult following, like our Tokyo & Osaka Country Club range. Each piece has soul to it, of course we pay attention but don’t overthink the hype side, rather we focus on keeping things fresh, meaningful, and well-made. If people feel that connection and support us, that’s the best kind of following you can hope for. One of our favourite messages from a customer was “I did’t even know you guys were a golf brand, I just love your hats.” that was so good to read and we knew we were flying in the right direction.

If you could play a twilight round with any three people - from any era - all kitted out in Birds of Condor, who’d make your dream foursome?

Frankie Kimpton: That’s a great question and have often thought about a dream team round and who that might be. If it was today it'd be Ben Hogan, Tiger Woods & Al Czervik.

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Words and questions by AW.

Answers by Frankie Kimpton.

Photos courtesy of Bird of Condor.