Giants Quarterback Tyrod Taylor on His Personal Style and New Clothing Line

The fashion forward Giant is part of a new wave of game day dressing.

Dex Robinson and Tyrod Taylor.Ron Ronson

Like many who watched the Super Bowl for Rihanna’s half-time show, I keep up with athletes to see their game day fits. It’s sort of niche, but also a total spectacle of forward thinking style and creativity. Tyrod Taylor of the Giants is a noteworthy participant. I caught up with the quarterback to talk about his personal style, his fashion hacks, and his new menswear line.

Who is your style icon?

Of current fashion inspirations I look at Pharrell a lot. A$AP [Rocky] as well, he does a great job of being fashionable without forcing it. His style always feels genuine. I also like to look at images of football players from the ’70s and ’80s. I’ve always admired the way guys like Walter Payton and Ed Too Tall Jones dressed boldly. I’m not necessarily an outspoken person myself, but I see dressing boldly is a way to show your personality through clothes. Growing up in Virginia Beach, I can’t not speak about Allen Iverson and his style. He was always himself and didn’t conform to what the NBA may have expected of his appearance to be back in the day.

Most fashionable teammates?

Sterling Shepard or Saquon Barkley. They are obviously good friends of mine but I appreciate their style.

Best investment piece you own?

A Patek Philippe 5711 watch I bought about six years ago. It’s been discontinued so the price has gone through the roof compared to what I paid for it. As far as clothes, I was in Milan a few years ago for fashion week and I bought a cream Bottega trench coat. At the time I definitely thought I would wear it way more than I have, but I still love it. It will never go out of style.

Can you walk us through this game day fit?

Tyrod Taylor styled by Dex Robinson.

Rodney Williams

This full forest green fit is by Courrèges. I paired it with JW Anderson flatform loafers. At this point in my career I try not to buy things that are one offs—I’ll get multiple wears out of that shoe. The white shirt underneath is from the best store in America (he says laughing), Uniqlo. I love that store, I go there probably too much to get white tees. A Lot of my t-shirts that I wear are Uniqlo—I put my own touch on it here by cutting the bottom of it. I like that it slightly cropped with that unfinished edge—it’s the subtle details.

What was the inspiration for your new clothing line, DIALLO?

When I first came into the league I had a coach early on tell me, “when you get in front of the camera make sure you dress the part, opportunities come from different avenues in this space,” and I took that to heart. For the first two years in the league I bought a new suit for every game. It was a different dress code then what you see typically in today’s tunnel fits, it’s more casual now, but a lot of people thought I was making my own suits and people would ask me when I could make one for them. A few years later I talked to my stylist Dex Robbins about how to create a line. We started brainstorming on products, doing research, going to shows and really getting a feel if this was a space I could see myself in, and it was.

What can we expect in this line?

Diallo, which is my middle name, is a line of pieces that reflects my everyday style. You’ll all of my favorite things, like trousers, matching coats, utility pants, t-shirts. My first DIALLO t-shirt has the symbolism of my hometown Hampton, Virginia where we highlight Buckroe Beach, one of the first Black-allowed beaches back in the day, so there’s a lot of meaning in it.

DIALLO is a luxury streetwear brand taking a modern approach to classic silhouettes in an attempt to re-imagine “American luxury”. Founded by Tyrod Taylor and Dex Robinson, DIALLO exists to inspire the next generation of creatives while being aspirational to all. Fusing craftsmanship with functional sensibility, DIALLO is a lifestyle.

DIALLO will be launching their line this weekend 2/25 and 2/26 in New York City. The event will be held both days at 235 W57th Street New York, NY 10019 from 1-6pm and is open to the public.