Exclusive | I handmake each Madison Square Guardian jacket so NY fans can rock their favorite teams all at once even Jalen Brunson has one
New York sports fans are known to loudly wear their hearts on their sleeves, and this jacket does the talking for them — on the court, the rink and on the field.It’s all about the New York Knicks right now, with the team on a stunning and historic winning streak, but Madison Square Garden regulars — both on and off the court — don’t want to forget their other hometown heroes.To the rescue comes Alex Ruffin, a 31-year-old Connecticut designer who created the “Madison Square Guardian,” a $1,400 bespoke jacket — one half repping the Rangers, the other the Knicks — so fans could celebrate the beating heart of Big Apple sports, win or lose.“MSG — that’s the mecca right there,” he told The Post.“Babies are born every day into a fandom… Sports unify a lot of people.”The coat of many colors is part of the “Hometown Hero” series, from Ruffin’s A Thrifted Temple label — a fun fusion of two vintage team jackets from the same city or state, chopped up and sewn together to create an even bolder statement.
“People resonate with my jackets to the degree that they do because sports is the one thing on this planet that transcends,” said Ruffin, who created the concept three years ago in his Stamford home.“I thought it was a brilliant idea, because who doesn’t like to represent where they’re from?” he added.Even Jalen Brunson, the Knicks’ star guard, is on board.“Jalen’s jacket that I made for him is very special for me,” Ruffin said of the $1,400 sold-out style worn by Brunson last month.“It made a lot of sense, just knowing the history of the team and the owners, then knowing that Jalen Brunson’s father played for the Knicks back in the day as well, so it was a really cool full-circle moment.”And it’s a full-circle moment indeed, considering the Knicks are in the Eastern Conference Finals for the first time since 2000 — when Brunson’s dad Rick was on the team.Ruffin’s rad rags start at $800, with the mos...