Individual teams that are members of the leading U.S.-based pro sports leagues have increasingly been pairing with local fashion labels—mostly of the streetwear genre—for clothing collaborations available only in their home markets. Clubs in all five of the major leagues have served as examples of this phenomenon:
- National Football League. The Cincinnati Bengals paired with Black-Owned Outerwear for a collaboration dubbed “Stripes Don’t Come Easy.” The two debuted a collection in 2020 consisting of jackets, t-shirts, sweats, and hoodies, with the goal of spurring conversations on race and healing some of the divisions in the city. Sales started to really pop in early 2022 as the Bengals won a playoff game, its first in 31 years. Separately, the Kansas City Chiefs paired with Made Mobb for a limited collection this past January. The streetwear assortment, comprising 1,000 each of t-shirts and hoodies, was released in conjunction with the team’s playoff run. And the New York Giants offered “Los Giants” and “Made in NY” collections with Agni Atelier, a Latino-owned streetwear brand, consisting of merchandise including t-shirts, hoodies, crewnecks, and socks.
- National Basketball Association. Last September, the Toronto Raptors teamed with The Bay, the online shopping arm of Hudson’s Bay department store, as its “official style partner” in a four-year deal. The pair’s first limited-edition streetwear drop, called “A Capsule for Change,” saw 100% of net proceeds donated to Hudson’s Bay Charter for Change, which works to hasten racial equity in Canada. The capsule, which was accompanied by a video showing a diverse group of Canadians, included men’s and women’s hoodies, track jackets, and joggers. More collections are to come as part of the partnership.
- Major League Baseball. The Los Angeles Dodgers have been part of many collaborations, a number of them with local labels, over the past few years. Among the L.A.-based partners have been Union Los Angeles, for a six-piece capsule including hoodies and other items, and Born X Raised for a “No Crying in Baseball” collection including hoodies, t-shirts, crossbody bags, mini baseball bats, pins, and beer koozies. Often the team will bring an MLB licensee into the collection as well. Both of the collaborations mentioned here incorporated a cap from New Era, for example.
- Major League Soccer. The Los Angeles Football Club partnered with Born X Raised last October for t-shirts, a hoodie, and a soccer scarf, sold exclusively in LAFC’s stadium shop. Born X Raised, a streetwear brand that highlights its local roots and is known for its collaborations with L.A. sports teams, has also paired with the NFL’s L.A. Rams and, as mentioned above, the Dodgers.
- National Hockey League. The Toronto Maple Leafs collaborated with Justin Bieber, a fan of the team, and his streetwear label, Drew (sometimes known as Drew House), last September. Sweaters and shirts, hats, and socks featured the Leafs’ “theme words,” Pride, Courage, Honor. The collection also includes the smiley emojis and graffiti graphics for which Drew is known.
Such collaborations generate local interest and PR, offer styles that appeal specifically to local fans, and, probably most importantly, present an opportunity bring new fans to the team and new customers to the fashion partner’s brand. They reflect a broader trend within the licensing business at large for highlighting local connections within licensed and collaborative product assortments.
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