Fashion And Sport
Fashion has gained a prominent presence in the sports industry as we’ve seen collaborations between high fashion houses such as Louis Vuitton collaborating with well-known streetwear and athletic brands like Supreme in 2017, which caused a huge commotion in the fashion world as it was connecting two very different audiences as well as these two brands have a rough history with one another.
But as these two brands were able to come together, so have many others following in their footsteps, including Dior x Air Jordan, Palace x Moschino, and Reebok x Maison Margiela.
Reaching New Followers
Athletes are able to use the walk into their stadium or field as a runway to show fans and the public their own personal style, and as a result, the fashion world is taking notice and realizing the potential athletes have as fashion influencers. There’s a certain image that follows fashion houses, but having an athlete connected to their name can help reimagine the brand from an audience’s perspective because they are given a fresh new look.
Through these collaborations, sports and athletes have become a crowd to look at for trends, and as leaders in the fashion industry as brands are beginning to connect with athletes and create deals for them to be brand ambassadors.
The tie between a specific athlete and a brand can lead to the followers either getting to know the latter. Tyler Herro of the Miami Heat has signed a two-year deal with Hudson, a denim brand that has created a capsule collection of three outfits. This allows the brand to cater to a new crowd and showcases that they can fit and tailor to different body types.
Brands aren’t the only party gaining benefits through this partnership. Athletes are able to help expand their own personal brand and become even more recognizable to the point of being household names as well as becoming more marketable for future endeavors and aren’t trapped in one industry. For example, Russell Westbrook has created his own line called ‘Honor the Gift,’ which helps him gain attention in a new way aside from basketball.
Impact on Sports
Fashion can also help sports overall get a big push and transform the way the world views it. For example, most times when people think of the sport, they envision an all-white uniform on a green court with such little variation.
But Palace and Adidas are helping to shape a new edition of the sport by sticking to the usual white look but adding their own refreshing take, such as retro terry toweling and more lowkey logo designs, which is different from the average Adidas collection.
Having athletes actually wear these collections during the game or match is something that is rarely done as, most often, the sports or players that brands work with already have uniforms, such as the NBA or NFL. There haven’t been many collections that focus on tennis let alone during Wimbledon, one of the most respected and distinguished stages in the world.
Fashion can change the way a sport is perceived. By having the players shown in more modern or young clothing, it can shape the sport as something not so stiff but instead as a sport young people can connect with.
Conclusion
Collaborations between brands such as Palace x Adidas can show that sportswear can reach a bigger audience and doesn’t have to be one style or another but instead can be a collection of different ones. It also pushes the idea that tennis can have a different approach rather than women in tight dresses that most people are accustomed to and that men don’t need to have a some might say, boring look on the court.
