{"id":2437,"date":"2025-08-24T11:49:03","date_gmt":"2025-08-24T11:49:03","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/08\/24\/how-sports-stars-became-the-new-fashion-stars\/"},"modified":"2025-08-24T11:49:04","modified_gmt":"2025-08-24T11:49:04","slug":"how-sports-stars-became-the-new-fashion-stars","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/tmbglobal.news\/index.php\/2025\/08\/24\/how-sports-stars-became-the-new-fashion-stars\/","title":{"rendered":"How Sports Stars Became the New Fashion Stars"},"content":{"rendered":"
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\n\t\u201cShow me the money!\u201d, the iconic line from Jerry Maguire<\/em>, has come to epitomize deals that athletes demand of their sports agents. But that was then. Now, \u201cShow me a luxury brand deal\/my own clothing line\/front-row seats to Fashion Week\u201d has become the order of the day (though it doesn\u2019t roll off the tongue quite as easily). And the brands have evolved beyond the typical Nike, Adidas, Reebok and Puma contracts. Today, the overlap of high fashion and sports extends to LVMH sponsoring the 2024 Olympics and Formula 1; the 2025 Oxford-Cambridge Boat Race being officially renamed the Chanel J12 Boat Race; Burberry introducing soccer apparel last year; and Prada partnering with the Chinese women\u2019s soccer team for FIFA\u2019s World Cup.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tFashion and sports are now so aligned, the crossover has its own international magazine: Players<\/em>, founded by Vladimir Restoin Roitfeld and famous stylist-editor (and his mom) Carine Roitfeld. \u201cThis intersection offers luxury brands a whole new audience,\u201d Vladimir says, with Carine adding, \u201cSports stars are bigger than the top models.\u201d<\/p>\n
\n\tLook no further than this year\u2019s Met Ball for proof. The 2025 roster of sports greats at Fashion\u2019s Biggest Night included Lewis Hamilton and LeBron James as hosts, with Serena Williams, Dwyane Wade, Simone Biles, Angel Reese and Colin Kaepernick attending. \u201cNFL players\u2019 fashion choices have become a powerful avenue for additional storytelling,\u201d explains NFL global marketing vp Ian Trombetta, \u201ca touchpoint for new fans to connect with players and the league.\u201d Last year, the NFL appointed its first fashion editor, Kyle Smith.<\/p>\n
\n\tWhen did athletes get so chic? Let\u2019s start at how stadium walks became the new catwalk, with James and his Cleveland Cavaliers teammates popping on Thom Browne\u2019s short suits in 2018 or NFL clothes horse Travis Kelce donning a red Amiri suit and matching glasses for his Super Bowl entrance this year (Kelce recently launched his own fashion brand, Tru Kolors). \u201cWhen they realized how much it could raise their profiles, it all changed,\u201d says a major sports agent of the proliferation of \u201ctunnel \u2019fits.\u201d \u201cSharp dressers get sharp deals.\u201d\u00a0<\/p>\n
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\t\t\t\t\tLeBron James brought a Louis Vuitton bag before a 2023 game against the Denver Nuggets.<\/span><\/p>\n
\n\tThese fat deals range from ambassadorships to branded fashion collections, bags and shoes, enriching top male and female athletes to the tune of 50 to hundreds of millions of dollars a year. Soccer\u2019s David Beckham is now said to be worth half a billion dollars, with $40 million a year from endorsements; Hugo Boss just released the first full line of Beckham x Boss men\u2019s clothes. Williams\u2019 own brand, S by Serena, has played a big part in her $290 million earnings. Rolex ambassador Roger Federer was the first tennis billionaire. Jim Kloiber, founder of Battalion agency, which reps Breitling watches (they signed a novel deal last year with the NFL), gives several reasons luxury brands love sports stars: \u201cSoccer is global, and the NFL and WNBA increase reach \u2014 the audience has a bigger range than actors. Athletes are more relatable. Luxury brands get consistent ROI from pro players.\u201d Adds Breitling president Thierry Prissert, \u201cAthletes embody our core values: authenticity and pioneering spirit, not fame. Movie stars bring glamour; sports partnerships offer authentic connection.\u201d (Other watch brands like Jaeger-LeCoultre and Panerai Rolex have also been steady players in the arena.)<\/p>\n
\n\tOnce Louis Vuitton and Gucci ran onto the field, the grass grew even greener. James starred in the first campaign for Pharrell\u2019s Louis Vuitton menswear; LV also sponsors Spanish tennis great Carlos Alcaraz. Top-ranked Italian tennis star Jannik Sinner snagged a Gucci deal in 2023. NBA two-time MVP Steph Curry\u2019s shoe and apparel line Curry, with Under Armour, nets $4\u202fmillion a year. Portuguese soccer star Cristiano Ronaldo \u2014 Instagram\u2019s top performer with 662 million followers \u2014 partners with Armani, TAG Heuer and Vuitton because, well, he can. Female athletes are working the deals, too, with tennis star Coco Gauff as the face of New Balance x Miu Miu shoes and tennis apparel.\u00a0<\/p>\n
\n\tFor pro athletes, becoming a fashion icon is a bigger deal than you may think. \u201cThey might act like they don\u2019t care,\u201d NBA star Wade has said. \u201cBut when they get off the bus, they\u2019re fixing their clothes because they\u2019re about to hit that runway.\u201d <\/p>\n