Inside Julian’s: What goes into dressing Hubert Davis, UNC’s most stylish coach

A couple summers ago — it might’ve been last summer, or the one before, but Kristien Cuthbertson digresses — Hubert Davis came into Julian’s to do a fitting. A couple of weeks later, the North Carolina coach’s finished garments arrived at the Chapel Hill store.

“He chose some spectacular pieces that we were really excited to see,” said Cuthbertson, manager at Julian’s. “And the season came around and he didn’t wear anything. So we’re trying to figure out why and what happened.”

A few weeks into the season, Davis stopped by again with an explanation: He had started losing weight.

“He’s so stressed out and he’s so active on the court,” Cuthbertson told the N&O. “He’s a very enthusiastic coach on the sidelines.”

Since then, Julian’s has created what Cuthbertson calls a “second wardrobe” for Davis. One rotation works during the offseason, when his weight is stable. Once the season begins, he often needs pieces cut slimmer — jackets and shirts tailored “a little bit more narrow, a little bit more trim,” Cuthbertson said.

It’s one of many quirks the Chapel Hill menswear store navigates as the longtime outfitter for UNC coaches.

Julian’s has dressed generations of Carolina leaders — from Dean Smith to Roy Williams to former women’s soccer coach Anson Dorrance. Even Bill Belichick — known for his sleeveless hoodies — has worn a few of Julian’s pieces. But Davis might be its most visible client.

As the head coach of the Tar Heels’ men’s basketball team, Davis is a holdout from an earlier era of college coaching style. While many coaches have traded suits for quarter-zips and athletic wear, Davis has leaned further into formality. This season he even added ties to his sideline look.

Behind each tie he knots or jacket he shrugs off during a tense moment, there is careful planning that starts with fabric and fit.

Cuthbertson and the staff at Julian’s begin by figuring out what each coach needs physically and stylistically. In Davis’ case, that starts with temperature.

“He gets heated,” Cuthbertson said. “So we started working with some fabrics that are very similar to (Nike) Dri-FIT for some of his shirting … so that way he has a layer that kind of wicks moisture.”

But performance doesn’t come at the expense of style. Davis’ complexion allows him to wear a wide range of colors without fear of washing him out, giving the store flexibility in designing suits and jackets.

“We’re really leaning into his preferences,” Cuthbertson said. “He really has the option to wear a bunch of different colors. It goes well with him.”

One favorite was a brown-and-light-blue suit the store made for Davis. Another was a purple jacket with light blue detailing that Cuthbertson still raves about, though the cloth is no longer available.

That creates another challenge: when coaches wear items fans want, but the store can’t reproduce.

Roy Williams, who retired in 2021, still attends plenty of UNC games. When he shows up wearing an old Julian’s sweater or vest, the phones at the store ring.

“We get calls all the time about Coach Roy,” Cuthbertson said. “He’ll be wearing something we made 10 or 12 years ago, and people ask if they can get one. But we don’t really have that anymore.”

Another rule the store keeps in mind: coaches should never match.

For instance, when Davis was an assistant under Williams, his style had to stay a little more subdued.

“You don’t want to outshine the head coach,” Cuthbertson said.

That changed when Davis took over the program in 2021. With the promotion came more freedom to experiment with patterns, textures and color combinations. His wardrobe now leans heavily into Carolina blue and purple, with the occasional patterned jacket mixed in.

Even then, not every piece makes it onto the sideline immediately.

“Just because we make something for him doesn’t mean we’ll always see it on the stage,” Cuthbertson said.

The connection between Julian’s and UNC athletics runs far deeper than Davis’ suits, of course. Designer Alexander Julian helped create one of the most recognizable elements of UNC basketball: the interlocking argyle diamonds that debuted on North Carolina uniforms in the 1991-92 season. A year later, the Tar Heels won the 1993 national championship.

And now, more than three decades later, the pattern remains synonymous with UNC athletics.

Inside Julian’s in downtown Chapel Hill, that legacy still appears in the details — Carolina blue fabrics, argyle linings and custom pieces designed for coaches.

For Cuthbertson, it’s a reminder that even something as simple as a sideline suit carries a bit of the program’s history.

The coach pacing the sideline may look spontaneous in the moment. But long before tipoff, the look was likely planned weeks — or even months — in advance.

This story was originally published March 13, 2026 at 5:45 AM.