Not Just Sport
Exploring fashion’s interest in sports and raising the question whether now comes a time for them to be replaced by creative directors of sports teams?
[2023]
Yes, that’s right. A leading English football team has determined it is in need of a creative manager to oversee its apparel line and partnerships with brands.
Surprising, isn’t it? Well, not really.
Through the years we have witnessed many collaborations and initiatives of fashion companies and sports teams or athletes. As early as the 1930’s, when René Lacoste designed the famous tennis polo shirt, through the Air Jordan sneakers, which have been an iconic piece for decades now, to the football uniforms Martine Rose has designed for the national American football team in partnership with Nike just last month.
These collaborations usually involve leading athletic fashion companies, like Nike or Adidas, partnering up with a designer or brand to launch new team uniforms or a collection inspired by the sport.
These collaborations are of interest to both parties for a number of reasons: Firstly, athletes have always been perceived as idols and marked as celebrities in popular culture. Their positioning as famous individuals, having extraordinary abilities and the potential to advance within structured frameworks have formed their statures as public figures, influencers if you wish.
In 2022 alone, the total revenues from sports merchandise sales came to about 191B US dollars and they are expected to grow to 248B dollars by 2026, according to a Statista report.
Apart from the market share and the athletes’ status, some may claim the enchantment of the fashion industry with competitive sports derives from its perpetual appeal of designers, and society as a whole, to the 'Able body’. Fashion’s pursuit of the young and sculpted body is no stranger to any of us. Some might find it obsolete and outdated.
Be the interests as they may, the relations between those two worlds are expanding and are expected to expand even more. Among the recent collaborations are the partnering of Burberry with the Korean footballer Son Heung-min as brand ambassador, the entrance of Louis Vuitton, Chanel and Hugo Boss to Formula with different projects and the collaboration between Adidas and Thebe Magugu- designing the new uniforms and gear for the Orlando Giants.
Going back to Crystal Palace and Kenny Annan-Jonathan with whom I opened the article, Johnathan’s first item on the agenda is to launch the team’s first autumn/winter apparel collection of 2023-2024.
That raises the question whether now comes a time for them to be replaced by creative directors of sports teams?