Franklin Launches Signature Apparel Line With Jimmy Liong

Franklin Pickleball Malaysia launched the Jimmy Liong Blackout Edition on 6 Aug, a two-piece collection built with its sponsored athlete Jimmy Liong, a performance T-shirt and a lifestyle T-shirt, both carrying his own signature.

A Launch Timed to a Hot Stretch

The collection landed in the middle of Liong's strongest run of the season. The day after the launch, he and doubles partner Shi Sheng upset the tournament's No. 5 seed at the MB Ho Chi Minh City Open, following straight-games wins in both the singles and doubles Round of 16 the day before. Franklin followed the launch post with a "Focus Cam" highlight reel from the same tournament, keeping Liong's on-court form and his new collection in the same feed within days of each other.

That form is not new. Liong beat Grayson Goldin in a Round of 16 upset back on 3 Jul, and carried a strong run through the Leapmotor Singapore Open singles draw on 24 Jul. He has also had the quieter weeks any competitive season includes, a quarterfinal exit in early July among them, the kind of real, uneven record that makes the current stretch read as a genuine peak rather than a highlight reel stitched together after the fact.

Selling the Athlete, Not Just the Shirt

Naming the line directly after Liong, down to his own signature on the lifestyle piece, ties the product to his specific on-court identity rather than treating him as a generic ambassador. For a Malaysian brand building out its own athlete-driven product line, launching it during Liong's best competitive stretch in months is the kind of timing that turns a routine merchandise drop into something closer to a moment.

The Jimmy Liong Blackout Edition is available now through Franklin's online store and its physical showroom.

This article is based on social media posts and historical data tracked by Pickle361.