Photo Courtesy IG: demarrecarroll1
Pascal Siakam is wearing a hoodie as he shoots around, the cold emanating from the rink beneath the Air Canada Centre hardwood making it difficult for him to stay comfortable in a jersey while the arena remains empty. The No. 27 overall pick is adjusting to the NBA more quickly than anyone had any right to expect, but one thing he hasn’t been able to adjust to yet is the cold in Toronto. Or at least, the impending cold – it’s still quite mild, and Siakam is already thinking ahead to the wardrobe additions he’s going to need to make.
Luckily, the Raptors’ rookie not only has veteran leaders around to make the learning curve easier on the court, he also has DeMarre Carroll to show him the ropes when it comes to dressing for success north of the border.
“He got all the swag, so I probably need some lessons from him,” Siakam jokes within earshot of Carroll, also letting it slip that he’s “poor” so the veterans might need to help him out.
Carroll may not be that altruistic, but with a year under his belt in Toronto, he’s definitely got some advice to pass along.
“You gotta get your coat game up, that’s the biggest thing,” he explains. “When you’re out here in Toronto, your coat game and your boot game. It’s something different, man. I got some things in store, a couple of things I might pull out. You never know what I might pull out.”
What Carroll might pull out of the closet is a bit of a running storyline in the Raptors’ locker room. He’ll wear bright clothes, loud jewelry, garish shoes, bold patterns, suit all the way up, or look like he’s rolling through the Hershey Centre in pajamas, like he did in what looked from a distance like an all-red jumpsuit around Christmas last year. His Instagram page is split evenly between motivational posts about the process and the grind, pictures with his family, and shots of him in his latest outfit. Carroll’s trademark two-toned hair even led to Jared Sullinger cutting off his blond upon signing with the Raptors, as Sullinger wanted to “let DeMarre be DeMarre” and avoid infringing on his look.
It’s not just for show. Carroll cares deeply about fashion and lists it among one of the avenues he hopes to pursue after basketball, along with coaching and real estate. Carroll’s so serious about it that he’s begun exploring options for his own clothing line, something that’s already advanced to the stages of trying to get manufacturers lined up and looking into potential retail partnerships. (He already has fanwear up on his website, but his line is aimed to be dressier casual wear, “like what you got on but very nice.”)
“You try to do something different, man. You try to hit all aspects and things that you like to do,” he says. “And this is the best time to do it when you’re at the peak of your career, and you’re in the NBA, and you can be seen on so many levels. You try to hit all the aspects, things you want to do. You just try to play around with it and see which one captures your heart the most.”
As for what to expect from the clothing line, Carroll isn’t divulging specifics or patterns, but his teammates are curious.
“I’m curious to see what’s it going to look like,” says Patrick Patterson, who some see as the primary competitor for Carroll’s claim as the best-dressed player on the team (Patterson will only say “it’s between me and him, hands down,” noting that it’s easier for Carroll to dress as a more normal-sized person). “I’ll definitely wear it if he gives it to me for free, ’cause I’m not paying for it. I’ll definitely rock his stuff. ”
Cory Joseph, meanwhile, offers up his services as a model for Carroll’s line rather than as a co-proprietor. He’s gotten a peek at a few ideas but is mostly in the dark about what he may be modeling. Still, he’s confident in his friend, because he knows Carroll’s put the work in. A lot of work.
“That guy, I’m not surprised he’s having a line come out. There’s gonna be some dope stuff for sure,” Joseph says. “He shops for about 10, 15 hours a day, so I mean, it has to be good. He has maybe everything in the mall. He has good fashion sense, he’s definitely a fashionista. I like fashion but I don’t shop for 10, 15 hours. I might a couple hours, I’m good. He can go for days, man.”
For Carroll, dressing well and launching his line isn’t just scratching an itch. He wants to make the world a more fashionable place, and that’s something that people can’t do themselves without a little help. Not even Carroll was born with his sense of style, and he’s trying to pass those lessons on not only to the masses, but to his young son. That way, his son will have the same style his dad has from the first second he needs it.
“I’m senior swag daddy. I gave my son the title Swag Daddy. That’s what you gotta teach ‘em from – you don’t just get swag overnight, it comes at an early age. I got it at an early age from my mom,” Carroll says.
“My mother always instilled in me, you gotta dress to impress. Whenever you step out on the scene, you gotta look a certain way. And I do it my way. That’s how I feel. I want to let everyone know my fashion expertise, and I do it my way.”
This time next year, the whole Raptors locker room might be doing it his way. Or at least rookies like Siakam, who just need a little veteran mentoring when it comes to dressing for life in the NBA’s northern outpost.
