Designer Khanh Ngo has released the “Real Ohio Player” collection, a Lids-exclusive Ohio State collaboration. Credit: Courtesy of Adam Elkins
Designer Khanh Ngo proved he is a Columbus kid at heart with his first-ever Lids collection.
The Ohio State-themed launch — titled “Real Ohio Player” and exclusive to Lids, a popular athletic headwear brand — was created in collaboration with Ngo’s brand MADE & Co. and debuted Oct. 26. The collection is available for purchase at The Buckeye Corner, located at 21 E. 17th Ave., as well as through Lids’ website.
The line features three “New Era 5950 Fitted” hats and one “New Era 950 Adjustable” hat, all of which celebrate celebrate Ngo’s Columbus roots and passion for Ohio State football, he said.
Ngo grew up in Hue, Vietnam, where his father fought for the South during the Vietnam War. After his family left the country to escape this conflict, Ngo said Columbus offered them a new place to call home.
“This move has given me a deep appreciation for Ohio and shaped who I am,” Ngo said. “In their own ways, both places feel connected to me.”
Ngo said this personal connection to Columbus pushed him to craft something that represented the city.
“The connection is very personal. I’m from Columbus and grew up bleeding scarlet and gray,” Ngo said. “I’ve traveled the world wearing my Ohio State [clothing], and I wanted to create a collection that someone like me could wear proudly.”
Ngo said this collection was largely inspired by stories from his childhood in Columbus. One of his most memorable anecdotes involves his eldest brother bringing back a Block O towel and grass from Ohio Stadium after Ngo couldn’t attend a football game with him in 2006.
“This collection is dedicated to him,” Ngo said. “He’s one of the biggest Ohio State fans I know. I want this collection to excite fans just like him.”
Beyond his own brother and immediate family, this Lids collaboration is designed for anyone who takes pride in Ohio State, Ngo said.
“This collection is for a ‘Real Ohio Player’ — individuals who represent Ohio with class and confidence,” Ngo said. “I want people to feel that they can achieve anything they set their hearts on, while always staying true to themselves.”
Ariel Sander, Lids’ head of brand and collaborations, said the passion Ngo has for this collection is evident.
“Working with [Ngo] on his Lids-exclusive headwear collection has been a tremendous experience,” Sander said. “It’s incredible being in a position to translate someone’s passion into product.”
Khenan Alexander, a fellow Ohio native and model for the collection, said he’s always considered Ngo’s creative work representative of Columbus at large. Alexander said he first connected with Ngo in 2015, after he and some friends admired the artist’s vivid presence in the city’s arts scene.
“[Ngo] being able to recognize me and my friends as cool kids coming up, wanting to even just work with us, being able to work with him in the future and being able to call him a friend, I would say that’s like the best memory I would have of [Ngo],” Alexander said.
Though Ngo has participated in Columbus’ creative community for years, he said the experience of working with Lids has been immensely rewarding.
“This project feels surreal to me, so reaching this milestone is huge,” Ngo said. “While I’ve achieved a lot in my career, this stands out as one of my biggest accomplishments.”
Ngo said his main goal for the collection was having it remain authentic to Ohio State students. For example, one design includes the iconic “Script Ohio” formation by “The Best Damn Band in the Land,” he said.
“Each of the four hats I designed focuses on unique details,” Ngo said. “One, called ‘Brutus the Buckeye,’ captures the spirit of Brutus with an arched Ohio State design and a brown suede brim. The white Ohio State hat is a retro New Era cap that gives a vintage feel — something you could picture Woody [Hayes] wearing on the sidelines.”
Alexander said the New Era Fitted Cap is a streetwear staple, which further emphasizes how big this collaboration has been for Ngo and his design platform.
“Seeing [Ngo] get the approval from Ohio State and New Era to be able to do a fitted hat for us at home is just really a big deal for us here,” Alexander said.
Ngo said ultimately, this hat line is a childhood vision made real.
“I’m just a kid from Columbus, Ohio, and to accomplish something like this is truly a dream come true,” Ngo said. “For someone from Ohio, it’s everything I could ask for.”
For more information about the collection, visit Lids’ website.
