The Story Behind NBA Star Anthony Edwards' Custom Randolf Barong

Last weekend, from August 13 to 15, NBA star Anthony Edwards was in Manila for the local leg of his Believe That promotional tour. Over three days, the American basketball player took part in a series of engagements in Bonifacio Global City, including meeting with fans and hosting a basketball clinic for young Filipino athletes.

On one occasion, Anthony, alongside his lifelong best friend Nick Maddox, attended an intimate gathering at Manila House, where he met with key personalities from the Philippine Basketball Association (PBA).

For the event, the Minnesota Timberwolves shooting guard sported a custom piña barong shirt by Randolf Clothing, paired with the Adidas x Proudrace Jabbar Lo sneakers.

In conversation with Preview, designer RJ Santos shares how he approached the custom piece for Anthony.

When the Adidas Philippines team commissioned him for the project, the 2023 Preview Best Filipino Fashion Designers honoree followed the same process he uses when creating custom barongs for his clients: getting acquainted with the wearer and incorporating elements connected to their life and personality.

“I wanted these elements to feel organic and interconnected rather than just placed individually on the barong,” he explained.

For the pattern, RJ incorporated details that pay homage to Anthony’s hometown, family, and the things he holds close to his heart. “We used a lot of elements that allude to Atlanta, Georgia, like the Cherokee rose and peaches,” he shared.

True to the spirit of the Randolf brand, a touch of humor naturally found its way into the design. Atop the panel of motifs, a Georgia peach appears embedded within an American football—a nod to Anthony’s childhood passion for the sport—while a basketball takes the form of a peach.

“I didn’t want the design to look too literal,” says RJ. “I wanted it to appear like a traditional barong at first glance, but when you look more closely, you start to discover all these details that are personal to Anthony.”

There are also details that point to people and symbols that hold personal significance for Anthony.

For instance, an orange band lines the cuff, a motif that alludes to the wristband he wears in memory of a fan who battled leukemia. On the right, RJ drew an anatomical heart with the names of Anthony’s mother and grandmother inscribed inside.

Since the NBA star wears jersey No. 5 for the Minnesota Timberwolves, RJ incorporated the number into the back of the barong, which he stylized with the stars and sun rays from the Philippine national flag.

As with his other custom barong creations, RJ’s aim was to give the wearer something that feels distinctly personal. For this project in particular, the challenge was to create a piece that Anthony and Nick could truly connect with, regardless of whether they were familiar with the barong’s cultural significance.

“I wanted each barong to feel like it was really made specifically for them, to the point that no other person could wear it the same way they do,” RJ notes. “That has always been one of our goals when creating custom barongs for our clients. We want the piece to feel personal to the person wearing it while still respecting what a barong is.”