Sports

Watch on demand a BoF Professional Masterclass that explores the topic in our 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.

The acclaimed rapper and frequent fashion collaborator will design a capsule collection to be released at the Las Vegas Grand Prix in November. In future seasons, he will have wider creative control over the brand’s multi-year licensing deal with F1.

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.

Brands like Asics, Hoka and Salomon have by some measures elbowed out basketball shoes as the secondhand market’s hottest sneakers.

Companies like Nike and Adidas see big growth opportunities in women’s football. But while the game is often marketed with an inspirational wrapper of female empowerment, its growing prominence has also drawn attention to the persistent exploitation of largely women workers in the apparel and footwear supply chain.

Sportswear giants like Nike and Adidas churn out mountains of apparel and equipment for their sponsored teams each season, the bulk of which ends up in the trash. Now, start-ups and designers are trying to reduce waste by upcycling this unused merch.

The Louis Vuitton owner and its brands will be front-and-centre at the Paris 2024 games, deepening the conglomerate’s ties to the world of sport.

A new owner, media-friendly strategy and an upcoming Brad Pitt film have helped catapult Formula One into the cultural spotlight. For brands, there are untapped opportunities in the sport – “like a Super Bowl every weekend”.

Designers say fashion’s obsession with technical outerwear like hiking boots and cargo vests may have peaked. Noah’s Brendon Babenzien is the latest to abandon the trend in an upcoming collaboration with Puma.

The sports giant unleashed the Vaporfly in 2016 and various versions have quickly come to dominate the elite and 'serious recreational' side of road running.

This week, everyone will be talking about fashion's role in fighting climate change, Colin Kaepernick's first sneaker for Nike and the UK general election. Get your BoF Professional Cheat Sheet.