The NFL is having a moment. Should fashion play too?
Experts say luxury is likely to delve deeper into this pool. “As luxury brands extend their reach into the sports arena and, more importantly, increasingly act as cultural compasses, we may well see more NFL stars fronting luxury campaigns,” Harkin says. As brands turn their sights to younger audiences, brands will need to tap their penchant for streetwear and archival pieces, she says.
American jewellery brand David Yurman, for one, has long tapped NFL stars to host in-store events and partner on social media content. In GQ’s October issue, it decked out USC Trojans quarterback Caleb Williams in its pieces. The plan is to double-down on this strategy. “We view athletes and sports teams as a powerful vehicle to influence male consumers on their style decisions, and we have exciting plans to expand on these partnerships — specifically in the NFL — in the coming year,” David Yurman CMO Carolyn Dawkins says.
These collabs are about tapping younger audiences in ways that resonate, Harkin says. “If we see more luxe-sport collabs, they’ll be smarter, tapping into those ambassadors who can successfully convey a savoir-faire — a cultural know-how that is valuable in itself — shifting the codes of luxury in favour of subtle status signifiers over more obvious, overt displays of wealth.”
There’s ample opportunity for luxury to capture more American consumers, Conti, of Conti Communications says. It’s a demographic worth doubling down on, given it already accounts for over a quarter of personal luxury retail sales globally in 2023, according to Insider Intelligence. The market research company estimates that personal luxury retail sales in the US will amount to approximately $115.6 billion — 27.8 per cent of the $415.45 billion worldwide figure. That said, the US has faced a more ambivalent consumer this year as shoppers, especially in the aspirational category, have pulled back luxury spending.
“Ultimately, the NFL is an obvious opportunity for brands to tap into a broader American audience,” Conti says.
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