Is the Football Industry Finally Embracing Fashion?
On August 2, Crystal Palace Football Club became the first Premier League side to appoint an in-house creative director to oversee its seasonal off-field collections and all future fashion partnerships.
According to BoF, the south London outfit named Kenny Annan-Jonathan, an experienced London-based marketeer, as its new creative lead. The role will see him spearhead Crystal Palace's first ever Fall/Winter collection that’s slated to land later this year.
This announcement comes during a period when the lines between football and fashion have never been so blurred. In fact, they're now so intertwined they're practically one and the same.
From kit collaborations and luxury boot releases to stars like Son Heung-min and Trent Alexander-Arnold modeling for Burberry and Bottega Veneta respectively, the crossover between the two is nothing new.
Still, if Annan-Jonathan’s appointment at Premier League Crystal Palace suggests anything, it's that after years of one-offs, exclusive collaborations and ambassador roles, the football industry is finally ready to embrace fashion on a permanent basis. And why not?
Manchester United and adidas’ recently-announced $1.1 billion kit deal is just one of many reminders of just how much money can be made between brands and clubs, while the Premier League (the world’s most watched league) has the highest brand value out of any league worldwide at €8.6 billion (approximately $9.4 billion).
Crystal Palace’s move into a creative realm follows a similar move by Championship side Birmingham City FC, who revealed LA-based sneaker boutique, UNDEFEATED, as its creative lead for the 2023/24 season, as well as its debut capsule collection.
Earlier this year too, Guillermo Andrade, the founder of LA streetwear label 424, was appointed as creative advisor for the MLS Leagues Cup, a role that saw him “create and consult on cultural and storytelling opportunities that sit at the intersection of soccer, fashion, art and design.”
Clearly, football is gradually readying itself to welcome the world of fashion on a more perpetual level. And while moves by the likes of Birmingham and MLS have suggested that before now, when a team of Crystal Palace’s stature is making such appointments, it’s surely only a matter of time before the others begin to follow suit.
