The Tyler Kolek tunnel fits turning heads at this year’s NBA Finals did not happen by accident. Behind each carefully assembled look is Olivier Rogers, a designer and sometime-stylist who drove to Kolek’s home in Yonkers the Sunday before the Knicks flew to San Antonio, bags of clothes in tow, to plan out outfits for Games 1, 2 and 3 in one sitting.
How the Tyler Kolek Tunnel Fits Come Together
Rogers grew up in Brooklyn after being born in Saint Martin, and went to school in Rhode Island, which is Kolek’s home state. The connection predates any professional arrangement. Per Rogers, Kolek bought a hoodie from the Olivier Rogers website years before he was drafted. ‘When he got drafted, I was like, “Oh, wow, Tyler Kolek, Rhode Island guy, drafted to the New York Knicks. When the time’s right, maybe we could work together,”‘ Rogers told GQ.
Now, with the Knicks in the Finals, that casual interest has become a proper operation. Early in their working relationship, the two styled looks over FaceTime. The Finals changed that. ‘I’m like, “No, bro, we got to do this a different way. I have to actually come see you, you try the clothes on, so we can see what matches with what,”‘ Rogers said. ‘It’s my name on the line as well.’
The pieces Kolek has been wearing, drawn from Comme des Garçons, Prada, Issey Miyake, Dries van Noten and Chanel, have made Kolek one of the more-discussed style presences of the playoff run, despite not being the team’s marquee name. Rogers sees the tunnel as a runway in the same way a trail runner sees a ridge line: you dress for the moment, not the conditions. ‘You’re in the NBA Finals, and this is your Met Gala moment. Don’t think about the weather, don’t think about it being 90 degrees outside,’ he said. ‘They’re just going to be like, “Wow, he looked sharp that year when he went to the finals.”‘
Building a Wardrobe That Works Like Kit
Rogers’s approach to dressing Kolek has a practical logic to it that any kit-conscious person would recognise. The goal is a core wardrobe of interchangeable pieces in navy, brown and dark grey: dress shoes, button-up shirts, trousers and blazers that work together without effort. ‘Once you have five pairs of dress shoes, a few button-up shirts, a couple of trousers, a couple of nice blazers in your closet, and they’re all colours that go with everything, it’s easy for you to just wake up and just throw it on,’ Rogers explained. It is, essentially, a capsule system: reduce decisions, raise consistency.
The mood board leans on a ’90s reference point. Rogers describes sending Kolek photos of Brad Pitt, Tom Cruise and David Beckham from that era. ‘Style back then was so much better, in my opinion, than it is now,’ he said. Shopping trips to Dimes Square and vintage spots on the Lower East Side fill in the gaps, with looks often assembled on the fly.
What Comes Next for Kolek’s Style Profile
Rogers has an eponymous clothing brand he is in the process of relaunching, with a new collection due for September’s Fashion Week. He told GQ he is considering dressing Kolek in a full Olivier Rogers look for a potential Game 5. Beyond the Finals, Rogers had plans for Kolek to attend Comme des Garçons and Junya Watanabe shows in Paris this summer, and Kolek has expressed interest in walking for shows including Louis Vuitton and Junya Watanabe. Rogers is also aware of modelling agencies that want to sign Kolek.
Rogers counts Tyrese Haliburton among his other clients, and his brand has been worn by Jalen Green and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander. Asked which other players he rates on style, Rogers pointed to Victor Wembanyama of the Spurs. ‘His style is very European, and I’m also French-Caribbean, so it’s very tasteful, it’s not doing too much, and it stayed true to his identity,’ Rogers said. ‘I would say Victor’s top five in the NBA.’
Rogers’s collection drops in September. Whether Kolek is wearing it on a Paris runway or back on a New York court by then depends on how the Finals play out.
