Why sport and fashion currently seem more closely connected than ever before

Sport and fashion: A dream team that is currently in top form

A symbiotic relationship is a close, mutually beneficial connection. This also applies to the liaison between sports and fashion. Recent developments, in particular, demonstrate why they complement each other perfectly in many ways. Of course, athletes usually need special equipment to optimally practice their sport. In fact, the first football boots are said to date back to Henry VIII of England, who wanted to protect his royal feet while playing ball as early as the 16th century. But that's just one of the aspects of why the sporting goods market has developed into a multi-billion dollar business.

By the end of 2024, Adidas, Nike, and Puma are expected to have a combined company value of over $165 billion. This value is not solely attributable to the sale of functional sportswear. Hoodies, sweatpants, and sneakers have long since become lifestyle products worn off the field or gym. And specific terminology for these sports-inspired styles has long been established. In 2024, tenniscore seemed ubiquitous (thanks in part to Zendaya's attention-grabbing press tour for the film "Challengers") and was complemented in the summer by blokecore – an aesthetic inspired by soccer fandom and primarily based on fashionable interpretations of jerseys. On Instagram, #blokecore has over 113,000 posts, and TikTok has over a billion views. In Germany, Google searches for "jersey" were at their highest level in ten years in June 2024. This is explained by a "rise of football within pop culture".

It's true: 2024 was the year of sports par excellence. One event followed the next, culminating in the European Football Championship in Germany and the Olympic Games in Paris that summer. Rapper Snoop Dogg, the unofficial mascot of the Games, provided the perfect template for numerous memes with his performances and corresponding looks, which were also shared by non-sports enthusiasts.

Sport evokes euphoria and emotion. Sport creates moments that connect – and does so in real time. Because: In times when linear television is gradually being replaced by streaming portals, many people still watch sports live on TV. Anyone who wants to have a say has to watch – or, ideally, be there in person. A fact that is valuable for brands, as an expert from the management consultancy Pricewaterhouse Coopers (PwC) explains to "Business of Fashion."

It's no wonder, then, that according to PwC, the sports sponsorship market is expected to grow from $63.1 billion in 2021 to $109.1 billion in 2030. The industry magazine headlines another article stating that fashion's obsession with sports is no coincidence. Rather, it's a smart, strategic move that's not just about introducing new potential customers to the brand through sports. The live character, emotions, the will to win, and the "best of the best" mentality are meant to radiate into fashion—and generate what is becoming increasingly important for fashion brands in these oversaturated times: a distinctive image—and a lasting form of desirability that comes not only from good design .

Instead of competing with other companies for traditional sponsorships on jerseys or advertising on perimeter boards, numerous fashion brands have found other – sometimes more subtle – ways to capitalize on the popularity and reach of sports. Authenticity plays a crucial role in this. Because not every sport suits every fashion brand .

The Swiss watch brand TAG Heuer, which in 2019 still had over 100 contracts with various teams or tournaments, reduced this commitment to 20 collaborations in 2023 – including Formula 1, with which it has had a close relationship since the 1970s (where else does time play such a major role in combination with technical feats?). In October 2024, Chanel announced that it would enter into a partnership with the oldest sporting event in Great Britain: the rowing race between the universities of Oxford and Cambridge on the River Thames. The collaboration is "an expression of a shared philosophy, namely the uncompromising pursuit of excellence, based on collective effort to achieve success," according to an official press release.

Despite all the specialization and focus, it's still football that exerts a special attraction on fashion. But the 5.38 million viewers at the 2023 Women's World Cup final and the 21.64 million at the 2024 Men's European Championship final speak for themselves. For last year's tournament in Australia and New Zealand, designer Martine Rose, for example, designed the much-discussed uniforms and shoes for the US women's team in collaboration with Nike. The fact that FIFA, the world football governing body, which has come under fire due to allegations of corruption and a lack of transparency, plans to launch its own fashion line, "FIFA 1904," in spring 2025 seems a logical step.

And yet, it's not the teams or federations that are currently generating the most attention. It's the individual athletes. Cristiano Ronaldo and Lionel Messi lead the ranking of the most popular Instagram accounts worldwide. Together, they have over a billion followers – eclipsing even pop stars like Selena Gomez , Ariana Grande , and Beyoncé. Athletes have become independent brands, and as is typical for them, they're all about positioning themselves as advantageously as possible.

Fashion can be a helpful factor in this process. One that can have a financial impact on potential collaboration partners. But also one that can influence the relationship with one's own fan base. After all, the younger generation of sports fans is no longer exclusively interested in the performance of their idols. They follow their lives on social media , want to be part of their everyday lives, and want to be as close to them as possible. One way to achieve this is to emulate them fashionably.

Of course, fashion-conscious athletes are nothing new; just think of Michael Jordan in the 1990s or David Beckham in the 2000s. Former American football player Deion Sanders, nicknamed "Neon Deion" during his playing days in the 1990s for his striking fashion style, is said to have once said: "If you look good, you feel good; if you feel good, you play well; if you play well, they pay you well." This made him something of a pioneer, as it took quite some time before a passion for fashion was no longer considered negative for players. For a long time, it was seen as a distraction from training when an athlete appeared in front of the camera for photo shoots. Today, it seems almost odd if they can't boast of collaborations with labels.

Now, the level of professionalization has also increased significantly. Just a few months ago, it was announced that the National Football League (NFL) had hired its first in-house fashion editor, Kyle Smith – in response to "the rapidly growing importance of fashion in sports and the pervasive, passionate interest in how athletes dress," as an article in US Vogue put it. The article also quoted an NFL marketing executive as describing Smith's appointment as part of a "helmets-off strategy" aimed at portraying players as complex personalities. Smith himself says that fashion-conscious athletes are about doing more than just dressing up. "They want to help shape fashion," Smith says.

Like Naomi Osaka at the 2024 US Open, when the tennis player showed up in a neon green bow ensemble by Nike and designer Yoon Ahn, which Osaka co-designed. Ahn wrote on Instagram about the collaboration: "Often we think of athletes as one-dimensional and tied to their sport, but for me it was about exploring the different facets of their personality and style."

Another tennis fashion moment from recent history: When Jannik Sinner, then ranked eighth in the world, stepped onto the green grass of the most prestigious tennis tournament in Wimbledon in July 2023, carrying not a functional sports bag over his shoulder—but a Gucci duffle bag with the Italian brand's monogram print. According to estimates, this appearance alone had a media impact value of $2.9 million.

In spring 2025, it was announced that tennis player Coco Gauff would be launching an exclusive capsule collection with Miu Miu and New Balance, the pieces of which she would wear on court at the tournaments in Rome, Berlin, and Cincinnati, and which would then be available in stores in time for the US Open in September. Coco Gauff, who advised both brands on the collection, told VOGUE US in April : "There are three tournament looks in total. I showed them which silhouettes I like, and we used that as a starting point. We asked ourselves: What can we do in tennis that has either never been done before or has only been done very rarely?" What did the tennis player wear to the photo shoot with her trophy when she won the French Open in June? Miu Miu, of course.

But perhaps no other phenomenon better reveals the novel relationship between fashion and sports than the "Tunnel Walk": Long a mere route to and from the locker room, it's now a kind of runway. US Vogue also writes that the tunnel of the American Women's NBA (WNBA) has officially become a "fashion destination." Another article states: "The march into the arena was all about demonstrating confidence and using fashion to encourage one another."

While the on-court looks and uniforms are about uniformity and demonstrating solidarity, these pre-game fashion moments are meant to showcase individuality and personality. No one seems to be doing this better than US basketball star Caitlin Clark. This spring, she showed up to the WNBA Draft in a Prada ensemble—the first time the brand has dressed a player for this type of event.

Clark's stylist, Adri Zgirdea, told Women's Wear Daily: "It usually takes five years for a major fashion brand to be ready to dress athletes. They want to see that they're established and making a splash before they invest in a collaboration." The stylist believes that Prada's early selection of her is a clear indication that brands are aware of the players' pop-cultural influence. She adds that Caitlin has "got people talking about and investing in women's sports like we've never seen before." A particularly beautiful aspect of a symbiotic relationship.

This article first appeared in the January/February 2025 issue.

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