“Present me the cash!”, the enduring line from Jerry Maguire, has come to epitomize offers that athletes demand of their sports activities brokers. However that was then. Now, “Present me a luxurious model deal/my very own clothes line/front-row seats to Vogue Week” has turn out to be the order of the day (although it doesn’t roll off the tongue fairly as simply). And the manufacturers have developed past the standard Nike, Adidas, Reebok and Puma contracts. Right now, the overlap of excessive trend and sports activities extends to LVMH sponsoring the 2024 Olympics and Method 1; the 2025 Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race being formally renamed the Chanel J12 Boat Race; Burberry introducing soccer attire final yr; and Prada partnering with the Chinese language girls’s soccer group for FIFA’s World Cup.
Vogue and sports activities are actually so aligned, the crossover has its personal worldwide journal: Gamers, based by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and well-known stylist-editor (and his mother) Carine Roitfeld. “This intersection gives luxurious manufacturers an entire new viewers,” Vladimir says, with Carine including, “Sports activities stars are larger than the highest fashions.”
Look no additional than this yr’s Met Ball for proof. The 2025 roster of sports activities greats at Vogue’s Largest Night time included Lewis Hamilton and LeBron James as hosts, with Serena Williams, Dwyane Wade, Simone Biles, Angel Reese and Colin Kaepernick attending. “NFL gamers’ trend selections have turn out to be a strong avenue for extra storytelling,” explains NFL world advertising and marketing vp Ian Trombetta, “a touchpoint for brand spanking new followers to attach with gamers and the league.” Final yr, the NFL appointed its first trend editor, Kyle Smith.
When did athletes get so stylish? Let’s begin at how stadium walks turned the brand new catwalk, with James and his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates popping on Thom Browne’s brief fits in 2018 or NFL garments horse Travis Kelce donning a pink Amiri go well with and matching glasses for his Tremendous Bowl entrance this yr (Kelce not too long ago launched his personal trend model, Tru Kolors). “Once they realized how a lot it may increase their profiles, all of it modified,” says a significant sports activities agent of the proliferation of “tunnel ’matches.” “Sharp dressers get sharp offers.”
LeBron James introduced a Louis Vuitton bag earlier than a 2023 recreation in opposition to the Denver Nuggets.
Garrett Ellwood/NBAE/Getty Photographs
These fats offers vary from ambassadorships to branded trend collections, baggage and footwear, enriching high female and male athletes to the tune of fifty to lots of of hundreds of thousands of {dollars} a yr. Soccer’s David Beckham is now stated to be price half a billion {dollars}, with $40 million a yr from endorsements; Hugo Boss simply launched the primary full line of Beckham x Boss males’s garments. Williams’ personal model, S by Serena, has performed an enormous half in her $290 million earnings. Rolex ambassador Roger Federer was the primary tennis billionaire. Jim Kloiber, founding father of Battalion company, which reps Breitling watches (they signed a novel deal final yr with the NFL), provides a number of causes luxurious manufacturers love sports activities stars: “Soccer is world, and the NFL and WNBA enhance attain — the viewers has a much bigger vary than actors. Athletes are extra relatable. Luxurious manufacturers get constant ROI from professional gamers.” Provides Breitling president Thierry Prissert, “Athletes embody our core values: authenticity and pioneering spirit, not fame. Film stars carry glamour; sports activities partnerships supply genuine connection.” (Different watch manufacturers like Jaeger-LeCoultre and Panerai Rolex have additionally been regular gamers within the area.)
As soon as Louis Vuitton and Gucci ran onto the sphere, the grass grew even greener. James starred within the first marketing campaign for Pharrell’s Louis Vuitton menswear; LV additionally sponsors Spanish tennis nice Carlos Alcaraz. Prime-ranked Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner snagged a Gucci deal in 2023. NBA two-time MVP Steph Curry’s shoe and attire line Curry, with Beneath Armour, nets $4 million a yr. Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo — Instagram’s high performer with 662 million followers — companions with Armani, TAG Heuer and Vuitton as a result of, nicely, he can. Feminine athletes are working the offers, too, with tennis star Coco Gauff because the face of New Stability x Miu Miu footwear and tennis attire.
For professional athletes, changing into a trend icon is a much bigger deal than it’s possible you’ll suppose. “They could act like they don’t care,” NBA star Wade has stated. “However once they get off the bus, they’re fixing their garments as a result of they’re about to hit that runway.”
This story appeared within the Aug. 20 problem of The Hollywood Reporter journal. Click on right here to subscribe.
