It`s a common sight now, whether through online streams or social media: football players arriving at the stadium hours before a match. They aren`t typically in their playing kits yet, but rather dressed in more formal, stylish outfits. These looks are often supplied by luxury apparel brands.
The fame of the players on the field has come to match that of the fashion houses that increasingly dress them for both major and minor matches. This season`s UEFA Champions League provided clear examples, with Hugo Boss partnering with Stuttgart and Zegna outfitting reigning champions Real Madrid. High fashion will certainly feature at Munich`s Allianz Arena for the final; finalists Paris Saint-Germain and Inter Milan represent two of the world`s fashion capitals and are likely to make their entrance with unofficial nods to their stylish origins through partnerships with Dior and Canali, respectively.
While formalwear and sports might seem like an improbable pairing, luxury fashion brands have found a comfortable place in the professional sports landscape, much like NBA players did years ago by gaining extensive coverage from publications like GQ for their pre-game outfits. This trend isn`t just about individual athlete expression; these companies are forming actual partnerships with sports teams, particularly in football, the globe`s most popular sport. These collaborations serve the desires and needs of all parties involved, naturally bringing significant financial incentives and the most sought-after intangible of our time: brand awareness.
According to PSG chief brand officer Fabien Allegre, it was “not just a question of style, but of expanding our universe, connecting the new generation of fans from different universes and creating those essential links to be recognized as an innovative brand.”
New Horizons for Luxury Brands
The core business of luxury brands traditionally focuses on a very exclusive group of wealthy clients. However, this strategy has a fundamental challenge: the customer base is inherently small. These companies have gradually had to broaden their definition of luxury and find various ways to expand their audiences, including opening stores in smaller American cities.
Thomai Serdari, the director of the luxury and retail MBA program at New York University, explains that when brands “have capital structures that are very capital-intensive to operate, they need to find a new area of growth.”
This is where popular sports teams—and their supporters—come into play. Sports fans are ideal customers based on their psychographics, a marketing approach that segments people by their attitudes rather than traditional demographics. Formal partnerships with major sports teams during popular events represent an effort by luxury brands to access vast audiences. These brands are showing up in large numbers: Louis Vuitton has partnered with major events like the FIFA World Cup and the NBA Finals to create trophy cases, while Burberry and Gucci have previously partnered with individual athletes like Tottenham Hotspur`s Son Heung-min and Manchester City`s Jack Grealish.
The financial benefits are mutual. While luxury brands gain recognition with new audiences, teams and individual players unlock new, often creative, revenue streams.
Serdari emphasizes the critical role of the athletes: “I think a crucial part of the whole equation is the athletes themselves and how they are, in essence, placed in the front lines.” She notes this gives athletes access to expensive sponsorships or ambassadorships they might not otherwise have, potentially creating “a totally new revenue line in certain instances.” Even if not purely for revenue, it provides them “the ability to express themselves and dress themselves in a way that is fun for them but also appeals to their audiences,” thereby strengthening their personal brands and connection with their fans.
Formalwear partnerships aren`t necessarily designed to ensure that all PSG fans suddenly start frequenting Dior stores, or that Inter supporters begin purchasing Canali clothing as often as their team`s new kits. However, these deals play a significant role in the complex process of brand-building, a marketing exercise that is increasingly vital across all industries.
Fashion as Part of a Wider Fan Experience
The crossover between luxury apparel companies and sports represents something new for both sides. In this era of unprecedented global connectivity, historically rooted sports teams feel a need to refresh their brands to connect with the widest audience they`ve ever reached. PSG embraced this opportunity by heavily focusing on fashion, interpreting the vision shared by president Nasser al-Khelaifi following Qatar Sports Investments` takeover of the club in 2011.
Allegre states, “Our president shared a clear vision: To make Paris Saint-Germain a global brand both on and off the pitch, and for me, the objective was to be both a successful football club and a cultural brand in its own right.” He adds that this ambition quickly materialized through “unique collaborations that had never been done before by a football club,” including a showcase at the iconic Paris shop Colette, their first appearance at Paris Fashion Week, and crucially, their “collaboration with Jordan Brand” seven years ago.
PSG`s partnership with Jordan, the Nike-owned brand named after basketball legend Michael Jordan, is arguably the club`s most prominent foray into the fashion industry and perhaps the most natural blend of sportswear and style currently in existence. Jordan has designed kits actually worn by the players in competition, alongside several athleisure collections. Jordan Brand and PSG are now closely associated, boosting the club`s style credentials and finding a genuinely authentic meeting point for two industries that sometimes seemed like polar opposites.
Allegre draws parallels between the two fields: “Fashion and sport are about the same things: Identity, emotion and movement. When they come together in an authentic way, it creates powerful things, stories that touch people.” He explains that all lifestyle initiatives are a way of “bringing people into our world, even if they`re not football fans at first,” citing examples like a jersey seen in a concept store or worn by a player in a video game. PSG also leverages its influence to “put the spotlight on designers, stylists and creative collectives — whether in Paris, Tokyo or Los Angeles — who have the same values as us.”
PSG`s involvement in fashion isn`t limited to their work with Jordan. Dior is their formalwear partner this season, a deal that strongly connects to Paris`s reputation as a fashion capital. This partnership offers PSG a different kind of visibility within an industry where they have already established a presence.
Allegre describes this collaboration: “Paris Saint-Germain is the sporting soul of Paris. Together, we embody a certain idea of modern refinement.” He mentions Dior designing exclusive outfits for the 2024-25 season, seeing them as more than just suits: “it`s a posture, a way of representing the club at all key moments — whether at the entrance to the stadium or on the red carpet.” The high standards of fit and detail, he notes, “echo what we strive for on the pitch: precision and excellence. It`s lifestyle in its own right.”
This innovative strategy can be particularly beneficial for a club like PSG, which might not enjoy the massive domestic broadcast deals some of their European counterparts do. Nevertheless, any club welcomes an additional revenue stream, and the growing integration of formalwear in sports signifies an impressive collaboration between two industries that historically had little in common. It helps that partnerships like PSG`s with Dior and Inter`s with Canali possess an authentic connection: the luxury brands originate from the same cities as the clubs they partner with, subtly enhancing the overall match experience, whether you attend in person or not.
Essentially, it`s a fresh approach tailored for a new audience in the modern age.
Serdari concludes by highlighting a shift in consumer behavior: “The new generations who have taken us away from simply product consumption to a brand and experience consumption first.” She explains that more people are inclined to enjoy watching sports as part of an “experiential lifestyle,” making them “more prone to be educated about new products that come from specific brands” within that context. She notes that while “Millennials started it all,” “Gen Z is very much about the experience rather than the product.”
