Jon Buscemi has been anointed the original sneakerhead and a serial entrepreneur. Over the past 20 years, Buscemi has created an incubator for streetwear brands and worked for everyone from DC Shoe Co. and Lotto Sport to Oliver Peoples, mainly as a luxury footwear designer.
His shoe brand Buscemi, which he created more than a decade ago, raised a lot of eyebrows when a pair of diamond-encrusted sneakers had a price tag of $132,000.
But through it all, he’s also been a lover of golf and has worked with Malbon Golf, Greyson and FootJoy. He recently debuted his fourth collaboration with FootJoy at the Players Championship, a collection that looked like a high-end sneaker but was made for the course.
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Buscemi’s newest venture is called Redan, a private membership club that offers the well-heeled curated experiences at legendary courses and other high-end experiences. He has partnered with Andrew Pavoni, whose background spans tech and e-commerce businesses, who serves as chief executive officer, as well as designer Safa Tazegideh and Jonathan Rich, a luxury retail expert.
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The site went live in January and counts 225 founding members, who paid several thousand dollars to gain access to the site and its concierge service.
“Redan is the essence of a lifestyle brand,” said Pavoni, adding that the site can help members secure tee times, book trips and restaurant reservations at key locations around the world. The site has relationships with Cipriani, Carbone, Torrisi, Atlas Card and PS at LAX.
Now Redan is launching an apparel collection of Italian-made sporting pieces that honor the traditions of golf but can also be worn off the course. Although many other brands, such as Peter Millar and Grayson, that got their start in golf are also targeting a lifestyle customer, because Redan is sold direct-to-consumer it is not “a slave to the wholesale market,” Buscemi said. “We don’t have to fit into any price box. We can make a garment and then price it.”
Among the pieces that will be offered in the inaugural collection are Italian-made pique polos, trousers and windbreakers, as well as cashwool crewnecks and polos, a duffle and caps. The bulk of the collection is menswear with a few unisex pieces. In the future, Redan expects to add more womenswear, it said.
Unlike other brands, Redan breaks down the price of each garment for its members, disclosing its supply chain traceability and cost structure. For instance, a long-sleeve polo costs $271.99 to manufacture in Italy, fabric and trims add $90.67 and freight, duties and tariffs are $61.48, so the retail price should be $850. But the members’ price is $650, Redan outlines.
Other prices include $250 for a pique polo, $700 for a cashwool crewneck, $400 for trousers, $900 for a windbreaker, $1,200 for a duffle and $85 for caps.
The collection will be available exclusively to members through the Redan app, and eventually include seasonal offerings and collaborations with companies such as Tiffany & Co., Bettinardi and FootJoy, the company said.
Although Redan has golf as its centerpiece, the partners know that despite all their high-end connections, there are still some clubs that they can’t get their members access to. These include Augusta National and other coveted, yet private courses. Pebble Beach remains an option and the Old Course at St. Andrews in Scotland is “a tough ticket,” Buscemi acknowledged, but with enough notice, Redan may be able to score a tee time.