photo credit: Craven Whitlow
ROGERS — When Arkansas basketball started 0-5 in SEC play to open the John Calipari era, the legendary coach received some unusual criticism.
In addition to being upset about the Razorbacks falling well short of expectations, a vocal segment of fans got up in arms about Calipari’s wardrobe choices. It reached a fever pitch following an 18-point beatdown at Missouri in which he wore a blue sport jacket.
The supposed faux pas set social media, message boards and sports talk radio shows ablaze with accusations of the first-year Arkansas coach not being all-in at his new school and still harboring feelings for Kentucky, where he coached the previous 15 years.
No one had a more unique perspective of the “controversy” than his tailor, Donny Hubbard.
“He actually mentioned it to me,” Hubbard told Best of Arkansas Sports. “He goes, ‘Oh my God, these people are wearing me out over wearing a navy jacket, thinking I’m supporting those (people) that I had to get away from.’”
The 48-year-old looks back on the whole ordeal with a smile now, but said the outrage was bizarre to him because it was navy – not the lighter Kentucky blue – and that’s the most popular color of suit across the world, not to mention the No. 1 color he sells at Hubbard Clothing Co.
Still, Calipari asked Hubbard to help him avoid a repeat flareup from the fans. The professional clothier has done more than update the Hall of Famer’s wardrobe, though, all thanks to a wild coincidence.
Hubbard’s Fruitful Stint in Kentucky
Most of Donny Hubbard’s life has been spent in the Natural State.
He moved to Arkansas from Los Angeles with his family when he was 13 and got into the clothing business after graduating from Van Buren High in 1994.
For all but one of the last 23 years, Hubbard and his wife, Robyn, have lived and raised their three children in Springdale. That lone year away from home, though, led to a connection that’s proven quite fruitful for nearly a decade.
In 2016, he had stores in Rogers, Fayetteville and Little Rock called The Independent, but the latter was struggling. With other clothing stores recruiting him, he ultimately jumped at the opportunity to take over Rodes, an iconic fashion store that opened in 1914.
Hubbard’s thinking was that Kentucky’s largest city would provide the best resources for his son, who had recently been diagnosed with autism. However, the stay lasted only 365 days, as they moved back to Springdale when they found out baby No. 3 was on the way.
One of the friends he’d made in his year-long adventure, however, was a Kentucky basketball superfan who introduced him to some of the Wildcats’ staff.
Hubbard never met Calipari while living in the Bluegrass State, but did get close to his assistants and staffers, like Chris Woolard, the head coach’s right-hand man. When Kentucky came to Bud Walton Arena in 2020, they reached out and met up with him at H Club, his speakeasy in Fayetteville, after practice.
“We have a couple of bourbons and we’re sitting there and they were like, ‘Hey, can we go up to the shop?’” Hubbard said. “It’s 11 o’clock at night, but heck yeah.”
The Kentucky staffers “tore it up” buying new sport coats, jeans and other sportswear before Hubbard finally took them back to their team hotel in Fayetteville. Things didn’t exactly quiet down the next day, either, as Hubbard was part of a sellout crowd that saw Calipari get ejected in one of the most electric Bud Walton Arena moments in recent history.
3 years ago today, John Calipari was ejected from the game against Arkansas in one of the loudest moments in Bud Walton Arena history. pic.twitter.com/QVxLf4tFy9
— Hog Flashbacks (@HogFlashbacks) January 18, 2023
It became a tradition at that point – every time the Wildcats were in town, their staff would have drinks with Hubbard before going to his store.
Despite that connection, he didn’t get any heads up when Calipari shocked the college basketball world by leaving Kentucky for Arkansas in April 2024. It wasn’t until a buddy texted him that Hubbard first heard the rumor. Naturally, he immediately reached out to Woolard.
“I text my guys and I’m like, ‘Is this for real?’” Hubbard said. “Immediately my phone rings and it’s Chris. He’s like, ‘Dude, it’s for real.’”
At first, no one knew who would follow Calipari to Fayetteville, but Hubbard found out rather quickly that pretty much his entire staff was coming. In the coming days and weeks, Woolard, Chin Coleman, Chuck Martin, Brad Calipari, Bruiser Flint and Tyler Ulis arrived.
Hubbard was also among the first people to learn Kenny Payne was rejoining Calipari after a two-year stint as Louisville’s head coach.
“I’m the only person in town they know at this point,” Hubbard said. “They’re calling me every five minutes to go hang out, and I’m going and having drinks and showing ‘em where to go, where to think about buying a house.”
Calipari Becomes a Customer
At that time, it was still just the Kentucky-turned-Arkansas staff buying clothes from Donny Hubbard. It wasn’t until just before the start of the 2024-25 season that Chris Woolard told him he’d finally bring the new Head Hog by.
Given the coach’s fashion reputation, Hubbard knew he had his work cut out for him with John Calipari.
“Cal was known for wearing clothes, but he was also known for wearing stuff that was too big,” Hubbard said.
photo credit: Craven Whitlow
Hubbard was up to the task. The longtime clothier got him measured, but it was actually Calipari who spotted one of the few blatantly red items in the store. What he found was a red and white Sartorio jacket – a brand that’s partially handmade in Naples, Italy, and retails for $2,500-$3,500.
The sleeker, new jacket made its debut in the Razorbacks’ ACC/SEC Challenge matchup at Miami (Fla.), which loomed large after losses to Baylor and Illinois.
Despite not taking a lead until the final two minutes, Arkansas escaped with a 76-73 win. The next morning, Calipari told Hubbard that every text he got about the game included a comment about his jacket.
“I was like, ‘Coach, it fits you, man,’” Hubbard recounted. “‘It fits you beautifully and it’s a very nice coat. The reason people are complimenting you is because it looks so much better than anything you’ve ever worn.’”
The 66-year-old coach has historically liked the extra roomy fit, but he’s coming around. Hubbard stressed to him that just because something is too big doesn’t mean it’s comfortable — and, for the most part, Calipari has been receptive to the advice.
“The pants are still a little bit of a challenge, but we’re getting there,” Hubbard said with a smirk and small shrug.
It left such an impression on him that Calipari returned to Hubbard’s store and ordered three or four more suits. He finally wore his first custom jacket for his return to Rupp Arena on Feb. 1.
Hubbard was in Kansas City for a wedding that day and during the reception, Woolard sent him a text to let him know that not only was Calipari wearing his new dark red jacket, but he was also sporting the ‘H’ pen to signify where he bought it.
As soon as the reception ended, Hubbard and his wife excitedly hustled to a sports bar to watch Arkansas stun the Wildcats in arguably the most anticipated regular-season game in Kentucky basketball history.
“He ends up kicking ass and I’m like, ‘What?’” Hubbard said, the disbelief in his voice still evident six months later. “I probably got 150 text messages that night from people — from Louisville, my family in California, everybody in Northwest Arkansas. It was wild.”
Hubbard and Arkansas Basketball
Nearly three decades into the clothing business, Donny Hubbard has fitted actors, a couple of Heisman Trophy winners, Mitch McConnell and even Beyoncé’s dad. None of them, he admits, are quite as well-known on the “global stage” as John Calipari.
Working with the Arkansas basketball program, though, is nothing new to Hubbard — who remembers playing against Corliss Williamson in high school and graduated from Van Buren the same year the Russellville product led the Razorbacks to the 1994 national title.
He has fitted every head coach since Stan Heath (although the previous one rarely required his services) and in the NIL era, he has provided outfits to the players for the Suits and Sneakers Gala.
Hubbard’s prior relationship with the Kentucky staff, though, has resulted in an even tighter bond. He can go to practice whenever he wants and can always walk into their offices.
“The publicity is amazing, but forget the publicity,” Hubbard said. “It is just fun for us to interact with the coaches and the players and have that access to the team — and we don’t abuse the access. It’s a genuine friendship and relationship with these guys.”
As for the fans who got bent out of shape because of Calipari’s wardrobe choices, they likely won’t have to worry about such trivial things in the future.
Not only will five-game skids become less common as the legendary coach continues to push the program forward, but he appeared to ditch the blue entirely as the Razorbacks made their surprising run to the Sweet 16.
That’s easier said than done, though, with luxury brands typically having limited options in red. Even if it means wearing different shades, Calipari won’t go astray again with Hubbard in his corner.
“The funny thing is a lot of coaches won’t do what he did and just go all in,” Hubbard said. “I mean, red’s not the easiest color to wear, but he’s nailed it.”
Calipari is living proof that you can, in fact, teach old Hogs new tricks — even if the pants are a work in progress.
photo courtesy of Donny Hubbard
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