Rhino Rugby has the X Factor

Last weekend on the very popular British talent show The X–Factor, contestant Rylan Clarke made a dramatic entrance, parachuting on to the stage to start his medley of Spice Girls hits. The stunt was a feast for the eyes, not just because of his high energy performance but because he was wearing RhinoGB’s very own Union Jack Jacket as a clear call back to Geri Halliwell’s infamous Union Jack dress. The X-factor stylist’s added their own sparkle to the jacket by customising it with jewels especially for Rylan’s performance. Rylan is just the latest of an ever growing list of celebrities who are donning the Union Jack. The cult following of this unique piece of clothing started in 2010 when JB Gill, of the X-Factor produced boy band JLS, donned the jacket in their video clip ‘The Club is Alive’ which has close to half a million hits on YouTube. Later in 2010 Louis Spence, of Pineapple Studios fame, was spotted in the jacket at an event with X-Factor alum, series seven winner, Matt Cardle. Even cult figure David Hasselhoff is on the action. The former Baywatch and Britain’s Got Talent judge wore the jacket when he was a guest on Sky TV’s Soccer AM show at Christmas time 2010. A few months after that Ollie Locke, one of the stars of Made in Chelsea, stopped by heritage clothing and retro rugby brand RhinoGB to get his hands on one, he was then filmed wearing it on the hit TV show. In May this year the jacket was included in a special fashion exhibition down in Brighton. The exhibit was displaying fashions that used the Union Jack as a fabric or design inspiration. RhinoGB, which also produces rugby hoodies, was featured amongst top British designers such as Vivienne Westwood, Alexander McQueen, Jasper Conran, John Rocha, Alice Temperley, Stephen Jones, Barbour and Doctor Martens. Other stars that have been spotted out and about donning the Union Jack include Lock Stock and Two Smoking Barrel star Ronnie Fox who wore it to the St George’s Day film premier and Gia Marie Barbera who wore it to London Fashion Week. 2012 has been a tremendous year for Great Britain with the Olympics and the Queen’s Diamond Jubilee, there is no better time to show your true colours and where your national pride on your sleeve! Rhino’s values of toughness, reliability, integrity, heritage and team spirit are born out of the game of rugby itself.