Famous Athletes Chase Fashion Fame

Let’s face it. Fashion lines designed by famous athletes have strong attraction for customers. The power of celebrity fashion lines is powerful, whether that celebrity status comes from the entertainment world or sports. We list here 10 fashion lines, selected by WWD, of famous sports celebrity designers that young people often choose.

1. Serena Williams. Tennis star

2. David Beckham. Soccer star

3. LeBron James. Basketball star

4. Venus Williams. Tennis star

5. Cristiano Ronaldo. Soccer star

6. Neymar Jr. Soccer star

7. Misty Copeland. Ballet star.

8. Roger Federer. Tennis Star

9. Victor Cruz. Football star

10.Dwyane Wade. Basketball star.

Athletes have long been part of fashion conversation. When Nike signed a contract with Michael Jordan in 1984, then a rookie basketball player, that made Jordan a very rich player and Nike a very successful company. Sales of Jordan’s athletic shoes continue to be in strong demand as new designs are released. In his rookie year, Air Jordan sold $126 million worth of shoes.

There have been other partnerships over the years that have taken many different forms. While some athletes have achieved endorsement from Adidas or Nike, others like David Beckham, Serena Williams, soccer player Megan Rapinoe, runner Allyson Felix, and basketball player Russell Westbrook launched their own labels with varying degrees of success.

Athlete-designed brands can often outlast playing careers of an athlete and be quite lucrative. According to experts, “Athlete brands give their founders freedom they could not experience in a typical endorsement deal.” They have more control over design, finances, and commercial decisions. Endorsement, on the other hand, gives athletes less to say and their agreements expire when they retire.

According to the Business of Fashion, many athlete-founded brands are imbued with a sense of purpose. For instance, after leaving Nike, track star Allyson Felix founded footwear and apparel label Saysh. It just closed an $8 million funding led by Gap’sGPS
investment fund – with a nod to her advocacy for maternity rights baked in. The brand allows mothers and pregnant women to trade-in shoes as their foot size changes.

POSTSCRIPT: Athletes have long been a part of the fashion conversation because of their stardom. Much in the same way that athletes have extended their career staying power by stepping into roles from coaching into team management and ownership, we also see them evolving their opportunities in fashion beyond endorsement deals into their own brands.