It seems former Boston Celtic big man Guerschon Yabusele has an eye for fashion.
The nimble-footed French center belovedly known as the “Dancing Bear” by Celtics fans for his surprisingly mobile style of play given his 6-foot-8, 260-lb. frame has started his own fashion line called “Hors D’oeuvres” along with brothers Florian and Martin Chapuy.
The venture, something the Chapuy brothers and Yabusele have been discussing for the better part of three years, came to fruition during the coronavirus shutdown, according to Parlons Sports’ Maxine Valade.
Yabu, as he is sometimes called, credits the fashion culture of the NBA as one inspiration behind his new clothing line, though fashion has been important to the big man since he was a child.
The Dancing Bear sees more than the obvious ties to his NBA career helping finance the venture as well.
“The culmination of such a project required investment and work just like all of my sporting career, from my beginnings in Dreux to today with the NBA or the French team,” offered Yabusele. “The fact that I have encountered people who undertake in various fields during my career convinced me to embark on this project.”
While he did not mention it, one wonders if the interest of former teammate Jaylen Brown in fashion played a role as well.
Why the name “Hors D’oeuvres”?
“The name Hors-d’Oeuvre is a nod to French know-how,” explained Yabusele. “We chose this gastronomic term because we met in Roanne, land of flavors.”
“This term also includes the word Work that we use on some of our pieces as a reference to art. The art of basketball, fashion, art in general. We love to create and this word represents it well. Hors-d’Oeuvre is inspired by the environments in which we grew up. I come from Dreux so our creations partly recall my urban side. Florian and Martin come from the Côte Roannaise and bring back this gastronomic touch.”
“It is our common passion for basketball that made us meet so it was inevitable that our creations evoke both sportswear and elegance,” he added.
If you want to see more examples of Yabusele’s fashion line, be sure to visit either the line’s webpage, or their Instagram. While the Dancing Bear might not have a future as an NBAer in the near term, he does have a pretty solid eye for fashion.
(All translations from the original French courtesy of Google Translate; any errors are ours.)
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