Fashionably yours
By Ashok Venugopal | ENS – CHENNAI
Published: 18th November 2013 12:38 AM
Last Updated: 18th November 2013 01:27 AM
Magnus Carlsen is not your archetypal, introverted, moody chess icon. Not in the least the way he dresses. If modelling for designer apparel giants G-Star Raw with Liv Tyler, flaunting his abs for the Sports Illustrated, obliging for photo-shoots and doing so like a nuanced professional weren’t enough, he usually comes for the world championship final attired in denim and keds, white shirt and white jacket to boot.
Better still, he carries himself so well that he has made a fashion statement of sorts. His father Henrik says he wears what he feels comfortable. “He is comfortable in casual attire. He likes to dress in designer clothes. In fact he endorses the range of G-Star clothing, which is a big hit back home,’’ says Henrik.
The G-Star Raw website reckons him as their ideal brand ambassador. “His uncompromising approach to the game mirrors the hardcore design philosophy of G-Star. Famous for his confident and unpredictable style of play, he embodies the spirit of unconventional thinking,” reads their website.
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That’s not all. Seeing his rise from a chess prodigy to world number one, he was featured on the cover of several magazines. Sports Illustrated, which had in the past featured legends like Bobby Fischer, shot him shirtless, spiking volleyball. Needless to say, it went viral on the internet.
This even prompted Cosmopolitan to name Carlsen among 2013’s sexiest men. Many think he has the potential to make playing chess fashionable and be the Tom Cruise of chess. “Yes, I believe (Tom Cruise of chess) so. The only question is does he want to. To me, Magnus is as normal as the boy next door,” says Susan Polgar.
Paris born Chennai-based fashion designer Rehane Yavar Dhala, too, believes that Carlsen can set a trend. “Of course why not? He can be successful model. When you are the best in what you do people look up to you. He is good looking, young and excels at what he does. So he can be a successful brand ambassador for a range of products,’’ added Rehane.
Can Carlsen make G-Star a popular brand? “I am not sure about what G-Star strategy is, but it is a nice idea to have an upcoming player line Carlsen on board,’’ opined Rehane.
A few years ago, England all-rounder Ian Botham remarked that Shane Warne, “with his brand of leg spin made once again the art of spin bowling look ‘sexy’. Likewise Carlsen, too, with his exploits on and off the board will make chess ‘sexy’.
Source: http://newindianexpress.com
Magnus is the 2nd sexiest chess player alive. Hikaru is #1.