Moving from Commodity to Brand: The Need for Emotional Connection

Hyman outlines why service and product excellence weren’t enough and why building consumer demand became the next priority.

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https://levelwear.com

Hyman Ngo, SVP of Product & Marketing at Levelwear, joins us to talk through the brand’s evolution from a behind-the-scenes apparel manufacturer to a powerhouse in wholesale and licensing — and now, their pivot into DTC.

For brand leaders scaling from golf, wholesale, or licensing into consumer channels.

What we cover:

The real reason they acquired a customer’s brand — and how that changed their whole trajectory
Why golf was the launchpad: how credibility in elite U.S. clubs unlocked growth back home
How they scaled to 85 of the top 100 U.S. golf courses (and what that did for their reputation)
The role of licensing (MLB, NHL, PGA) in adding growth and brand legitimacy
How they finally built their brand narrative (“Team Over Everything” / “Who’s With You”) and why it’s now central to their DTC push

Who this is for: Brand operators in wholesale, licensing, or B2B looking to build emotional connection and consumer pull

What to steal:

Build credibility in a “clean” market (no legacy baggage) and use it to reposition back home
Treat brand story as an internal alignment tool — not just external marketing
Use licensing as a bridge, but don’t lose sight of your brand equity

Unlock the BFCM Command Center: https://triplewhale.com/dtc

Timestamps

00:00 Transitioning from manufacturing to a brand

02:15 Buying Levelwear and early operational challenges

04:40 Breaking into retail and managing order volume

07:20 Slow early growth and breakthrough in the US golf market

10:05 How Levelwear entered top golf courses

12:40 Evolution of golf culture and apparel trends

14:00 Sponsoring pro golfers and athlete partnerships

16:00 Expanding into licensed sports apparel

18:05 Fanatics partnership and industry comparisons

20:00 Crafting Levelwear’s brand message and manifesto