Male Athletes are Fashion Game Changers On and Off the Field
Soccer Stars Marcus Rashford and Jude Bellingham with Basketball player Jaylen Brown at the Louis Vuitton Men's Spring/Summer 2024 Show Photo: Pierre Mouton via ABC News
Menswear is experiencing a modern revamp and has evolved over the years. Designers are redefining menswear by incorporating more colors, patterns, silhouettes, and other elements into their collections. This new wave of menswear has found ambassadors in one of the biggest industries in the world: sports. Male athletes have always been looked up to by fans, but now they are seen as fashion icons in their own right.
There are numerous articles and social media pages dedicated to showcasing athletes’ outfits in their day-to-day lives and on game days. Additionally, many athletes have launched their own fashion lines or collaborate with established brands. Male athletes have embraced fashion as another creative outlet beyond their primary sport. This burgeoning passion for fashion has created a significant impact beyond sports, and this influence has continued to grow in recent years. It has also fostered a solid and enduring relationship between the sports and fashion industries. The collaboration between fashion and sports allows these athletes to influence how menswear is perceived and to shape its trends.
Football Players Joe Burrow and Justin Jefferson in Paris Photo: Janaye Johnson via Vogue
Sports Marketing and Athletes as Brand Ambassadors
The relationship between the fashion industry and athletes has transformed sports into both a made commodity and a marketing strategy. Many brands, not limited to fashion, sponsor sports events and work with sports teams to create more brand visibility and support from their fans. Fashion brands, in particular, leverage the influence and impact of male athletes to market their products.
Kelly Hogarth, founder of the branding agency Thelma Gwen and former soccer manager, highlighted this trend: “When you measure success with a fashion influencer, you consider social media engagement, the ability to tap into youth audiences, and ultimately product sales. When I compared the engagement of an average fashion influencer to that of a footballer, the footballer’s engagement rate was 500% higher,” she said. “The luxury sector is a prime position for any talent. The longer you can maintain that status, the more you attract additional luxury brands, which have completely different audiences than your own.”
These fashion relationships are essential for both parties. These campaigns often engage an athlete's interests and fanbase, which allows the athlete to work more closely with fashion brands about what they want the campaigns to be about or represent. Fashion brands can reach new audiences and fans of a sport to get more eyes on the brand. They often choose athletes who share interests and goals with them, adding to the personalization of each campaign they are in. These athletes are not always seen just in ad campaigns; they have also walked in runway shows for brands. For example, football quarterback Joe Burrow and wide receiver Justin Jefferson walked in the Vogue World show in Paris. These campaigns and runway features are cross-promotional opportunities for both parties and are collaborations that work well.
Joe Burrow Walking for Vogue World in Paris Photo: Pascal Le Segretain via Vogue
Athlete-Founded Fashion Lines
Some athletes go all-in with fashion and create fashion lines. For example, in 2022, football star wide receiver Stefon Diggs created Liem Homme, which stands for Living in Every Moment, featuring female and male pieces designed by the star. Athletes can also have stakes in or become stockholders in already established brands. An example of this is retired soccer star David Beckham. Beckham had a stake in Kent & Curwen, a British heritage brand founded in the 1920s. Beckham was also the spokesperson and model for their campaigns. The brand saw a resurgence under Beckham and reached new customers with soccer fans.
An athlete-founded brand represents a more hands-on approach to the relationship between fashion and sports. With their own labels, athletes have greater creative freedom, allowing them to design garments they envision wearing right before game day. They also have the opportunity to shape their brand's image and set its expectations. These brands resonate more authentically with fans because they originate from the athletes themselves, rather than being mere endorsements of products created by other companies. This approach is more genuine and personal, reflecting the athletes' true style and vision.
Diggs Shopping with Vogue Magazine Photo: Kelvin Ayala via Vogue
Sports Influencing Menswear
Athletes are creating specific trends in menswear. Many people watch sports games not just for the sport itself but for what the players are wearing to the game. The NFL and NBA have the term 'tunnel fits,' which are the outfits that football and basketball players wear in the tunnel on their way to their locker rooms. 'Tunnel fits' are their red carpet or catwalk. Players get many opportunities to express their fashion sense, with dozens of games per season for fans to look forward to and watch. Male consumers see these athletes as role models, not just because of their athletic performance but their style. Courtney Mays, a fashion stylist to many NBA athletes, told Yahoo.com, “I don’t think that the male consumer is just now realizing the athlete is sort of like a fashion icon. I think it’s the fashion world just now seeing the athlete as a fashion icon,” she said. “I often say, men aren’t necessarily watching the Oscars to see what the next best tuxedo to purchase is, but they are watching the games that night. It’s cool that now the tunnel walk kind of gives this window into athletes’ personal style sensibility and therefore their personality.”
Utah Jazz Player Jordan Clarkson’s Tunnel Outfit Photo: The Hapa Blonde via Highsnobiety
The Evolution of Menswear and Gender Norms
Whether intentional or not, athletes use fashion to transcend gender norms. Some embrace traditionally ‘feminine’ aspects of fashion to express themselves. For instance, many athletes paint and decorate their nails with gems and colorful patterns. Even in 2024, despite this being a form of self-expression, it still faces backlash in 2024. Rookie quarterback Caleb Williams of the Chicago Bears, who has painted his nails since high school, frequently encounters criticism for this choice.this is an act that still receives backlash. Rookie quarterback for the Chicago Bears, Caleb Williams, who has often painted his nails since his high school, frequently encounters criticism for this choice.
While nails are not clothing, by any means, I believe they achieve a similar goal: self-expression. Athletes use what they wear as a means of personal expression, which can sometimes include more 'feminine' elements. In an industry often associated and seen as a masculine space, male athletes embracing 'feminine' expressions, despite facing criticism, plays a significant role in shifting gender norms. Breaking down these norms can help individuals fully express themselves. Athletes who embrace this form of self-expression should be seen as inspirations for young men and as positive role models for their fans.
Chicago Bears Quarterback Caleb Williams’ Nails Photo: Pasadena Star-News via Them
The Future of the Sports and Fashion Industries
Previously, fashion was an industry where athletes were not as welcomed (except for athletic fashion brands). Now, athletes have created a lucrative market for themselves that increases sales and market reach. The relationship between the sports and fashion industries has produced commercially successful relationships that are a win-win situation for both parties. Athletes' interests in fashion allow them to expand their image beyond the sporting arena.
Today, athletes enjoy careers beyond their sports, generating income through different venues were endorsements and partnerships celebrate their athleticism. Their game-day outfits are as important as the games themselves. The economic influence of athletes in the fashion world is expected to continue growing. According to PWC, the sports sponsorship market is projected to rise from $63.1 billion in 2021 to $109.1 billion by 2030. Athletes are reshaping the fashion industry, and their impact now extends far beyond the field. By challenging gender norms and breaking through the traditional confines of sports, male athletes have emerged as new fashion trendsetters.
