Gold’s Gym’s New Sportswear Line Pays Homage to the ‘Mecca of Bodybuilding’

Tired of tight, skin-sweaty, stretchy workout clothes? Got a hankering to show-off cuts and curves popping out beneath relaxed workout duds? Get into Gold’s Gym’s upcoming “Grand Collection,” a revival and a long-overdue homage to its first Venice Beach home, the “Mecca of Bodybuilding” that contributed to the sport’s global appeal.

This exclusive cut and sewn collection gives a nod to the era when Joe Gold built his first gym on the beach (in response to being barred from the Santa Monica pier) in 1965. The “Grand Collection” revisits those halcyon first days with a limited debut that includes nine styles: Hoodies, t-shirts, shorts, jogging pants, sweatshirts, and more. Gold’s intends for each piece to make a powerful statement that reinforces its fitness world ubiquity, from Los Angeles to South Beach. 

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The “Grand Collection” carries Venice Beach’s culture into the current day, combining it with the nostalgia for the do-it-yourself bodybuilding era. This high-quality gear sports unisex cuts, oversized fits, and boxy shapes in 100% premium cotton, which hearkens to scrappy bodybuilders flocking to 1006 Pacific Ave. The free-flowing, comfy clothing (available in gray, blue, green, black, and white) echoes the toned, Muscle Beach aesthetic in the modern era. 

In developing the “Grand Collection,” Gold’s collaborated with Jason Thome of Converse’s, “Yeah I Work Out,” collection to develop throwback workout threads that showcase the unchanged Gold’s Gym “Joe” silhouetted logo, as drawn by Muscle Beach pioneer Ric Drasin (Arnold Schwarzenegger’s former lifting partner and actor alongside Lou Ferrigno in The Hulk).

Drasin and his workout buddies were regulars at Gold’s Gym Venice in the 1970s and 1980s and pioneered the American gym style and the iconography of the “Golden Era of Bodybuilding.” Today’s fans of the collection include Colombian pop star Maluma and model/actress Emily Ratajkowski.

These items, available exclusively on the online store at GoldsGym.com and at the iconic Venice Gold’s Gym location, range from $22 socks to $150 zip hoodies. The drop is just the beginning of the brand’s expansion into the fashion apparel sector, with plans to launch additional limited collections with unique collaborations over the next year.

If you’re eager to have a piece of the drop in your closet, you’ll need to act fast; this is a premium and limited-run opportunity. It’ll be available exclusively at the Gold’s Gym website, goldsgymgrandcollection.com, on Wednesday, Aug. 18.

Make sure to mark it on your calendars. Since it’s a very inclusive capsule, not everyone will be able to get their hands on it.

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