Sales good, never better

LeBron James had just sealed a comeback victory over the New York Knicks at Madison Square Garden with a step-back, fallaway three-pointer over 7-foot star Kristaps Porzingis.

And so, to reflect his sunny disposition at the post-game press conference, James wore a hat reading, “All Good Never Better,” made by a Sacramento-based clothing brand.

“We’ve had lots of people wear stuff, but we’ve never had anyone with the influence of LeBron,” said founder Jason Maggio, who also founded the older, larger apparel line, Official Brand. “It’s been nonstop since the second he wore it.”

Maggio had been driving back from a dinner with in-laws in Elk Grove when James showed up on national television in the hat. Three minutes later, sales of the black-and-white hat ($32) started ticking upwards. By the next day, he had sold out of stock completely and landed a contract with Lids after the hat outlet had repeatedly turned down the style named Buckeye, coincidentally the nickname for James’ home state, Ohio.

Maggio said All Good should restock by December 7.

The 45-year-old Maggio has been in the apparel business since he was 20, and started Official Brand 10 years ago. But when Official started a skateboarding team, their skaters’ clothing sponsors took issue with the brand selling jackets.

So Maggio started All Good three years ago, crafting styles that look like outdoor clothes crossed with streetwear. He sticks mostly to bold, solid colors and aims for a blend between function and fashion that doesn’t necessarily conform to big-city trends.

“We’ve always been on an island doing apparel in Sacramento,” he said. “We could really focus on what we’re doing here without some of the distractions and the costs associated with being in New York or LA. You kind of get sucked into the collective consciousness of what’s going on there, and you end up doing things like what everybody is doing there.”

The full line of apparel fits the variety of California’s climates, which Sacramentans have long heard they’re about an hour-and-a-half from. There’s surf, ski and hiking wear—all of which would more than hold its own in Midtown, where All Good and Official stock plenty of shelves at the Getta Clue Store (1050 20th Street).

While Official has a presence in 30 countries and All Good in 20, the younger brand has only one other brick-and-mortar store: the second flagship in Portland that opened in June.

Maggio said the Portland outpost came about due to a collision of fortunate circumstances, just as James’ ballyhooed heroics over the Knicks led to more eyes on the All Good hat. Maggio said he was able to take his viral moment “in stride and enjoy it.” Still, when he sees his work on one of the world’s most visible human beings, or anyone for that matter, his state of mind matches the mantra on LeBron’s forehead.

“It’s funny living in Sacramento because there’s a lot of Official and All Good around, but you never get used to that feeling,” he said. “It’s just so cool.”