Tunnel-Fit Tie-Ins

The intersection of pro sports and the fashion industry has been strengthening for many years. One aspect of this trend that has been gaining more attention of late is the athletes’ “tunnel fits,” or pre-game outfits. Sports stars are intentional about these pre-game looks, photographers snap the players’ trend-forward outfits as they pass through the tunnel on their way to the locker room, and the images are widely shared on traditional and social media outlets. The NBA was at the forefront of the trend, but it has extended to the WNBA and NFL, as well as many other sports, from Formula 1 to tennis and beyond. 

Athletes often work with designers to create their pre-game ensembles. Sponsors outside of the fashion world have also increasingly become involved in such initiatives. And a growing number of collaborative fashion collections for consumers are taking their cues from athletes’ tunnel fits as well. A few of many examples from 2025 illustrate how tunnel fits are playing into athletes’, designers’, and sponsors’ marketing and merchandise strategies: 

• This month, Canada Goose and Shai Gilgeous-Alexander, who plays for the NBA’s Oklahoma Thunder, created a limited-edition capsule inspired by the athlete’s tunnel fits. He is known for his fashion-forward and sometimes wild style choices and has earned a reputation for being the NBA’s “fashion king.” Gilgeous-Alexander, who is from Toronto, has served as a brand ambassador for Canada Goose since 2024, but this is his first shoppable collection with the brand. Each of the capsule’s three pieces — tactical vest, tactical pants, and cropped parka, all adapted from key Canada Goose pieces to fit Gilgeous-Alexander’s tastes — is named for one of the player’s signature on-court moves. 

• In July, Kellanova’s Cheez-It brand paired with stylist Brittany Hampton and Rickea Jackson, a player for the WNBA’s L.A. Sparks and the Unrivaled league, for a gender-neutral, tunnel fit-inspired Cheez-Fitz streetwear collection. The pieces, a windbreaker and pants, integrate Jackson’s signature style with the colors and logos of Cheez-It and feature details such as a protective pocket to store a packet of Cheez-It crackers without crushing them. 

• Sophie Cunningham of the WNBA’s Indiana Fever teamed with Arby’s in July for a t-shirt worn as part of her tunnel fit for the team’s “Barbie Night” game against the Chicago Sky. The shirt, which featured the phrase “Hot Girls Eat Arby’s,” went viral. Arby’s reposted a photo of the outfit and included a link in the comments so fans could purchase the shirt. The effort received positive comments from Cunningham’s fans about how they were fans of the Arby’s brand now, too. In April, Cunningham had posted a 9-out-of-10 review of Arby’s ham and roast beef sliders on TikTok, so her fans knew her connection with the brand was authentic.

• The WNBA’s Paige Bueckers paired with designer Dapper Dan and Sherwin-Williams to create a custom look timed to the first away game Buecker’s team, the Dallas Wings, played against the Lynx of Minnesota, her home state, in May. The sweatsuit worn during this first hometown tunnel walk was infused with a pale purple called Radiant Lilac, which was named by Sherwin as The Loneliest Color of 2025, and featured western details reflecting her new home of Dallas. The Loneliest Color is consumers’ least-favorite of all of the paint maker’s hues, as measured by sales, and is highlighted to encourage consumers to use daring shades in their homes and, more broadly, celebrate confidence and self-expression. Fans also know purple is Bueckers’ favorite color. While there was no capsule collection tied to this promotion, it is an example of how tunnel fits have worked their way into corporate promotions of all kinds. 

• In March, J. Lindeberg brought the tunnel fit concept to golf with a collection worn by several competitors at The Players Championship, a PGA Tour event. In its Tunnelfits promotion, the company’s PGA Tour brand ambassadors, including Viktor Hovland, Matthieu Pavon, and Kevin Yu, wore different J. Lindeberg lifestyle looks on their way into the clubhouse. The initiative was meant to underscore the brand’s reputation for fashion-forward golf and athletic wear that is appropriate for almost any daily occasion. This is not a collaborative collection, but uses the concept of tunnel fits to bring attention to the brand as a whole. 

• In February, DeAndre Hopkins of the NFL’s Kansas City Chiefs paired with Boohoo Man for a Tunnel Fits streetwear collection inspired by the wide receiver’s well-known tunnel-walk style. The 60-piece, accessibly priced, luxury-feel collection included pants, outerwear, sets, and a variety of knitted and jersey pieces in neutral colors, for mix-and-match layering, all versatile enough to be worn day or night. 

Of course, pro athletes and designer labels are frequent partners in fashion collections of all types. But with players’ tunnel fits attracting so much attention these days, it makes sense for designers and sponsor brands involved in the sports world to capitalize on the trend. It is a way to differentiate and shine a spotlight on their collaborative activities, whether through stand-alone drops, capsules that are part of a broader relationship between the parties, launch moments for new retail collections, or promotional tie-ins.