With a huge summer of sport, the latest fashion flex is signing high profile sports stars for a viral campaign spot.
Burberry has unveiled its football series, collaborating with England’s finest Phil Foden and Eberechi Eze, whilst Jude Bellingham has stripped off for Kim Kardashian’s Skims.
Once upon a time, footballers like Wayne Rooney, Rio Ferdinand, John O’Shea and Paul Scholes would be seen out in dodgy jeans and Dad-knitwear. In Rooney’s own words “we all looked terrible.” But a fashion crisis no longer reigns over our footballing stars, who are snapping up brand deals with major fashion houses, sitting front row at their shows and putting on what their stylists advise them to wear.
Footballers have long engaged personal shoppers, because they’re busy and will get hassle if seen out shopping, or because they want the newest stuff and aren’t experts on the subject. But to have a stylist is a totally different thing.
Interest in fashion is rife, and has become another form of competition between players. It’s creeping through into brand partnerships too. David Beckham has used his retirement to edge even closer to the fashion world – he just announced a deal with BOSS. But younger players are already there, and don’t need to wait that long
Mbappé led the way in 2021 by signing with Dior, followed by Jack Grealish’s £10m deal with Gucci in 2022 and Saka become a Burberry ambassador in 2023. Now, there’s whispers of England star striker Jude Bellingham being linked with high fashion heavyweight Louis Vuitton and Gucci.
LV only work with sporting icons — they ran an advertising campaign with Lionel Messi and Cristiano Ronaldo before the last World Cup, following a campaign featuring Pele, Diego Maradona and Zinedine Zidane ahead of the 2010 tournament — and are now targeting the 21-year-old from Stourbridge. Bellingham has already shown his fashion credentials, wearing a Louis Vuitton suit with flared trousers to Paris last month.
Jude has yet to sign any personal endorsement deals, other than his boot contract with Adidas, although he did take part in a photoshoot for Gucci last year as part of their collaboration with the German sportswear company.
Watch this space for more familiar footie faces heading into fashion places.