Abercrombie & Fitch Is The NFL’s First Fashion Partner

Mall-favorite Abercrombie & Fitch is teaming up with the NFL as the league’s first-ever official fashion partner.

The Big Play: The NFL has long trailed behind the NBA and WNBA in the fashion game, where tunnel fits are cultural events in their own right. With fandom evolving and style taking a bigger role in the sports conversation, the NFL knew it needed a boost… and after some recent successful partnerships with Abercrombie & Fitch, it realized it already had a solid partner on the bench.

Behind The Style: As one of about 40 official NFL sponsors, Abercrombie & Fitch will gain prized access to players both on and off the field.

• The fashion label will be able to feature the NFL across its branding and host pop-up stores at games.
• Players will have access to in-house Style Concierges — personal Abercrombie stylists “who will curate looks pulled from the brand’s latest collection” and can provide “lots of free clothing to wear in tunnels and in other off-field appearances,” per Fast Company.
• In exchange for using a Style Concierge, players will appear in Abercrombie & Fitch marketing campaigns and social media.
• Players like the San Francisco 49ers’ Fred Warner, the Dallas Cowboys’ Jake Ferguson, and the Philadelphia Eagles’ Cooper DeJean have already joined the program.

Last Down: Thanks to Taylor Swift and her iconic game-day fits, the NFL’s female audience has hit a record 47%. Women, according to NFL SVP of global partnerships Tracie Rodburg, want more style woven into the fandom — both in what they wear and what they watch. For the NFL, this was inevitable.

For Abercrombie & Fitch, the partnership represents a major cultural level-up, as the brand has had to navigate controversy and reinvent itself to maintain its relevance. Up until recently, the brand was far more popular with women than men. With the NFL partnership, it can now serve that new batch of female fans, while also winning over guys — 59% of NFL fans are more willing to try a product from an official sponsor.

Prediction: We have a feeling that NFL-branded Abercrombie & Fitch letterman jackets could become the hottest football attire on the market. Outerwear will likely be the star of the NFL tunnel walk.