About five months ago, I met the owner of PKLR sport. I had no idea what PKLR stood for. He explained PKLR stands for ‘pickler’. So what is a pickler you ask? Someone who plays pickleball. Prior to meeting him, I had never even heard the term pickleball, I knew nothing of the sport, and I didn’t even know pickleball clothing was a thing.

My first instinct when I heard the term was thinking back to my youth, playing a game we called pickle. In the game of pickle, we put out two cones or bases and the goal of the game was to get out of the ‘pickle’. A pickle is a slang baseball term when you’re stuck between two bases. But that’s not what pickleball is.

Whenever I talk to people about pickleball, they always tell me they know someone who loves pickleball. But, I’ve hardly ever run across someone who actually plays the sport themselves. Since I knew nothing about the sport, I actually watched a few youtube videos to learn about it. I played tennis in high school, so I quickly caught on.

What is Pickleball?

If you haven’t heard about pickleball yet, it’s a paddle/racket sport that combines several other racket sports. I’d call it a cross between tennis, badminton, and table tennis. You can play with two or four players and each player uses a paddle, similar to what is used in table tennis. The ball is perforated, like a wiffle baseball. Pickleball was first invented as a children’s backyard game in 1965 in the state of Washington at Joel Pritchard‘s home. The sport has gained popularity even more so in recent years. Now there are thousands of tournaments across the U.S. and internationally.

Over the past several months, I’ve gotten a crash course on the sport and I’ve also become a fan. Moreover, I’ve taken on another entrepreneurial venture by helping PKLR with its social media. If you’re not following us on Instagram or Facebook yet, please do!

So you might wonder, why have I gotten so involved in this clothing brand for a sport I never heard of? Read on to see why.

PKLR Pickleball Clothing

PKLR was founded in 2019. It is a modern pickleball apparel brand based in Los Angeles and designed by founder Brooks Proctor. He applies minimal designs to high-quality apparel to create pickleball clothing that looks just as good for every day casual wear as it does on the pickleball courts. Brooks created the brand because most of the pickleball clothing he saw was pretty cheesy and not very cool.

And that’s why I’ve become such a major fan of PKLR. I love the clean and modern aesthetic. The simplicity of the black and white designs, with a touch of pickleball green, is timeless and cool. If you’re looking for ladies’ pickleball clothes or men’s styles, you should definitely check out PKLR. They offer pickleball sweatshirts and hoodies, t-shirts, tank tops, sweat pants, hats, sweat bands, and totes.

Another reason I love PKLR is that all of the clothes are custom-made to order right in Los Angeles. I’ve actually gotten to meet the printers and embroiderers myself. It’s been so neat to see how this small business is also supporting other local small businesses in Los Angeles. I’m really proud to support the brand because I love the aesthetic, the quality of the clothing, and also the fact that it’s all made in LA. I personally think PKLR is the best pickleball clothes, so I hope you’ll check them out.

How to Create Cute Pickleball Outfits

A lot of the pickleball women’s clothing you see is not actually made for women. Unisex items don’t always work well, especially if you have a curvy figure. That’s why I love that PKLR offers specific cuts for women (like the v-necks and tanks). I also made this unisex hoodie work perfectly for me by cropping it myself. 

That’s the thing about any athletic or casual clothing, you really need to think about the fit. An oversized hoodie isn’t going to be overly flattering, which is exactly why I decided to crop it. I simply cut the hoodie right above the kango pocket, and it created the perfect cropped hoodie.

If you’re not as open to making your fashion your own, when you’re looking for pickleball clothing, make sure you consider the fit. Try to find tops and bottoms that fit your shape well. Look for cuts specifically made for women. I recently met the Pickleball Babes on Instagram, and I love how they’re making pickleball so fashion-forward. 

If you want to create a look like mine, you can find my pants here and my hoodie here. I also threw on some cute sneakers, sunnies (similar), and a belt bag for a sporty, yet chic look. For sunny days, I also threw on the dad hat, which I literally wear every day. I love the fit and white goes with everything. Since I wear the hat all the time, people often ask me what PKLR stands for. And then it begins. I alwasy have a pickleball story to tell.

If you’re looking for other casual outfit ideas, click here.