Why Luxury Brands Are Tapping Into the Sports Market
When the Los Angeles Lakers lost this year’s season opener against the Denver Nuggets in Denver, Colorado, viewers took to social media to pick apart the team’s off-court style as well as their on-court performance. In particular, Lebron James' head-to-toe Louis Vuitton look (worth $28,000) caught their attention, a celebration of his new TV campaign. The ensemble, including a collarless “Damoflage” jacket and a money-green “Speedy” bag, signaled a paradigm shift in not only men’s fashion but also the industry’s marketing approach.
SKIM's Men's Campaign
Lately, luxury brands have become big players in the world of sports sponsorships. Whereas Prada sponsored the Chinese women’s soccer team for the 2023 FIFA Women’s World Cup, Louis Vuitton will sponsor the 2024 Olympic Games in Paris. What’s more, luxury brands have appointed more athletes through the years to represent them as ambassadors. As a result, “tunnel walks,” or the pathways collecting locker rooms to arena entrances, have become the League’s version of Fashion Week’s red carpets. But why?
Prada's Chinese Women's Soccer Team Campaign
Fashion and sports are about as connected as apples and oranges, but that doesn’t mean they can’t benefit from one another. Sporting events attract more international media attention than a regular campaign with ads and billboards. The 2023 Women’s World Cup, for instance, had a viewership of 2 billion people worldwide. Therefore, Prada’s sponsorship of the Chinese women’s soccer team made a proven impression on billions of people. Even when the Italian fashion house announced the partnership on social media, featuring the entire team in tailored suits, the post was viewed over 300 million times—promising similar numbers for fashion houses looking to do the same.
Beyond the quantity, it’s also about the quality of media attention. Athletes undergo fewer scandals than regular celebrities by virtue of their disciplined and quieter lifestyles. This makes them excellent candidates for brand ambassadors, preserving the company’s image. Kim Kardashian seems to understand this because she tapped professional athletes like Nick Bosa, Neymar Santos, and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander to debut SKIM’s men’s collection instead of her scandal-ridden celebrity friends. As more luxury brands become aware of this, the number of athletes representing them is likely to rise.
If fashion has changed sports and sports has changed fashion, then what? While luxury brands have penetrated the sports market, it’s unlikely that they’ll start churning out performance gear like cleats or shin guards. However, the recent partnership between Burberry and soccer-inspired label Able Made demonstrates a common interest between fashion and sports brands to team up and produce elevated athleisure—paving the way for other luxury, sports-inspired lines.
Louis Vuitton's Lebron James Campaign
Athletes won’t completely replace celebrity singers, actors, and influencers as muses for brands such as Chanel and Christian Dior. However, they do grant access to an entirely new fanbase that luxury brands hope to convert. As such, it’s becoming more apparent that brands need to gear up with a sports marketing strategy in order to stay relevant.
Article by Meyme Nakash, Contributor, PhotoBook Magazine
Tearsheets by Chenglin Qu, Graphic Design Intern, PhotoBook Magazine
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