These two chill surfers picked the right time to ride the Jalen Brunson wave.
Twin brothers Alex and Mike Faherty, who grew up in Spring Lake on the Jersey Shore, founded Faherty Brand in 2013 and have turned it into a $300 million success.
Things took a turn when they met Brunson through a mutual friend while at the Jersey Shore in the summer of 2022.
The pair and Brunson — who spent a portion of his childhood in South Jersey and has a home in Margate — hit it off and the company, which is inspired by the brothers’ coastal upbringing, signed the point guard as a brand ambassador not long after he inked his first deal with the Knicks in July 2022.
That came after Brunson spent his first four NBA seasons with the Dallas Mavericks primarily as Luka Doncic’s backup. Since coming to New York, Brunson has become one of the biggest stars in the league.
“I’m a huge lifetime Knick fan and when the Knicks signed Jalen, we knew that he was going to be such a difference maker to the team,” Alex, who is the CEO of Faherty Brand, said in an interview with The Post.
“[Before working with Brunson] we’d been thinking about and talking about… that it would be great to sort get our inroads into sport because my brother and I are lifetime athletes and Villanova fans.”
Brunson won two NCAA national championships with Villanova in 2016 and ’18 before heading to the NBA.
Alex played football at Yale and went on to work in private equity. Mike, a former Division III basketball player at Washington University, was a fashion designer for Ralph Lauren.
Their respective knowledge in finance and fashion was a solid foundation for the brand.
Alex explained that him and Mike, who is the brand and chief creative officer, bonded with Brunson over sports and their love of New York.
“[Brunson] knew the [Faherty] brand and liked the gear,” Alex said, adding that their families have also gotten along well. “For both of us, we wanted to get to know each other first.. where it’s not just this transactional thing, it’s also friendship. I think it was a great fit.
“… We’ve had some fun content shoots and Jalen and Mike have had a 3-point contest and obviously Jalen wins every time.”
Things quickly progressed into a successful business relationship across three NBA seasons.
During that time Brunson has become the king of New York after he helped the Knicks capture the NBA title for the first time in 53 years.
Brunson unanimously won the Bill Russell NBA Finals Most Valuable Player Award after the Knicks won four of five against the Spurs in the 2026 NBA Finals.
Faherty Brand made Knicks playoff gear throughout the team’s historic run — and decided before the NBA Finals to pull the trigger on championship gear, which quickly sold out.
Entering their fourth year as partners, Alex explained that Brunson is involved in the details of his Faherty tunnel fits, among other pieces he gives approval for.
“[People don’t realize] how funny Jalen is,” Alex said. “He’s a fun guy to be around. We did a commercial with him where he was the employee of the month at a Faherty store and [Knicks alum] Larry Johnson was a part of it too. It came out great, we cut it right before playoffs.
“… He’s definitely become more fashionable and he’s giving his input on things he wants to wear in the tunnel. We’re one of the brands that he talks to for that. And we want to be making sure we design the right beanie for him every year, because that’s his go-to look.
“We do graphic tees and hoodies with his saying on it, and he approves all of it. He’s very hands on with making sure he likes it.”
Faherty Brand is a $300 million business with more than 95 stores throughout the country, including 14 brick-and-mortars in the New York-metro area, and one in France, as well as a robust online business.
“The Jalen collection that we do, the ‘Magic is in the Work’ collection, has been a huge hit,” Alex said. “… It was a way for us to take, you know, some of our more fashionable styles and incorporate vintage NBA into it. Obviously there’s so much team gear out there and a lot of it looks the same. So we really wanted to take our premium higher-end fabrics and styles and bring it into the NBA.”
Alex emphasized that the company had longevity because his family helped get it off the ground.
In the early stages of the business, Alex’s wife, Kerry, oversaw impact initiatives, and the twins’ mother, Ninie, designed the interiors of the brand’s stores.
“My mom’s retired now, and my wife is an advisor,” Alex said, adding that Mike designs their stores. “Mike and I kind of run it day to day.”
The business has outgrown the brothers in a good way, and they now have employees across the country.
Faherty now has a full NBA license, due partly to the success of a strong relationship with Brunson.
The brand will be launching products featuring 16 other NBA teams this year after starting with just a local license with the Knicks four years ago.
Faherty recently obtained a Rangers license.
They also just launched a partnership with the Giants for an exclusive collection at MetLife Stadium on game days, and it’s available in tri-state Faherty stores.
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