Designing the Playing Field: Sportswear’s Fashion Segue
Published 17 November 2022
Sportswear merchandise and team memorabilia is big business, with the global licensed sports apparel market expected to reach $28.1bn by 2027 (ReportLinker, 2022). As the New York Knicks names Kith’s Ronnie Fieg its first-ever creative director, it’s clear the sports industry is taking its sartorial credentials seriously.
Fieg’s New York-based streetwear label Kith has previously designed kits for the Knicks, but this is the first time the team has brought someone in-house, taking a cue from other US National Basketball Association (NBA) teams that have recognised the benefits of having a creative director on board. Last year, American artist Daniel Arsham was appointed creative director of the Cleveland Cavaliers, while others, including the Toronto Raptors and the Detroit Pistons, have worked with musicians Drake and Big Sean respectively in a variety of creative roles.
However, this is the first instance where a team has appointed someone specifically from a fashion background. Fieg has both a commercial track record and cultural currency in the streetwear scene, and the existing crossover between Knicks fans and Kith customers makes this partnership even more lucrative.
Basketball aside, football merchandise is having a huge fashion moment. “Blokecore” has resonated with everyone from street-style stars to TikTok influencers, to the point where smaller football clubs like Italy’s Venezia are focusing on their fashion output as much as their sporting one.
The major takeaway from these collaborations is the emphasis on locality. Fieg is a New York native, Arsham was born in Cleveland, and for its rebrand, Venezia FC switched partners from Nike to Kappa to work specifically with an Italian company. Authenticity is key to sports fans, who are the ones you must impress to successfully cross over to fashion consumers, so prioritise working with local teams, artists and designers.
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