Robbie Rogers Launches a Denim Jacket Line

Out soccer player Robbie Rogers has a new goal: scoring in the fashion world.

Rogers has teamed up with stylist Warren Alfie Baker to release Hampton + Baker, a brand focused on no-frills, well-constructed menswear staples.

Rogers and Baker sat down with our "straight" colleagues at GQto talk about the new brand. "Warren and I have been friends for a while now and when he's styling me it's become this collaboration because our aesthetic is similar and we love the same brands," Rogers explains. "We kept saying we needed to do something together, and we finally came up with this, starting Hampton + Baker and starting with denim and just five jackets."

Rogers and Baker looked at icons such as Paul Newman, James Dean, Robert Redford, French cinema star Alain Delon, and Kurt Cobain as their main inspiration. "We wanted to keep it simple," Rogers adds. "We both have other jobs so we kept it to five jackets made in a limited run here in Los Angeles with antique buttons and custom embroideries. It's a way for us to be creative but to also keep it simple."

In addition to fashion and soccer, Rogers is also a prominent gay rights activist. In a recent Guardian interview, the athlete talked about coming to terms with his sexuality after winning the MLS cup in 2008. "We won that trophy in LA, in front of my family, with this amazing team," Rogers said. "Afterwards we went to a bar and I was like, 'I should be so happy now...' But I left after a few drinks and sat on my own in my room, thinking, 'OK. I'm gay. But I can't come out because I love football so much. What am I going to do?' The more successful you become the harder it is to step away."

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Read the full interview here. Shop the brand at HamptonandBaker.com, with denim jackets ranging from $495-$795.