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How Athletes Became Fashion Week Royalty

It’s not just sports superstars sitting front row at fashion week. Today, luxury labels are looking to work with emerging athletes from niche sports, giving rise to new dealmakers who match brands with eager skateboarders, boxers and rugby players.
footballer arriving at fashion show.
Liverpool FC and England national team footballer Trent Alexander-Arnold arrives at Louis Vuitton's Spring/Summer 2024 show in June. (Instagram)
By
BoF PROFESSIONAL

It’s no surprise to see the likes of LeBron James and Lewis Hamilton mingle with the stars at Paris Fashion Week. But lately, even rookies and unfamiliar athletes in niche sports have found their way to the front rows of Louis Vuitton and Moncler.

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Further Reading

Inside the Big Business of Styling Athletes

NBA stars and footballers are increasingly leaning on a network of powerful style consultants to help them shape their personal brands away from their day jobs, laying the groundwork for lucrative brand deals.

How Athletes Went From Selling Merch to Building Fashion Brands

High-profile athletes used to make money by inking licensing deals with retailers that use their names on jerseys and shorts. Today, sports stars like Russell Westbrook and Megan Rapinoe are launching their own labels, with full financial and creative control.

Case Study | Fashion’s New Rules For Sports Marketing

Capitalising on sport’s soaring commercial and cultural relevance is becoming a primary focus for fashion brands. Winning sports-marketing strategies today hinge on building long-term, collaborative partnerships with athletes and organisations that resonate with a brand’s target consumers, as experts in BoF’s latest case study explain.

About the author
Daniel-Yaw Miller

Daniel-Yaw Miller is a contributing writer at The Business of Fashion. Miller is a New York based journalist, editor and advisor who specialises in sports, fashion and business.

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