From The SS24 Womenswear Roundup: The Athlete’s Game

As the fashion industry moves further into the realm of culture, sports has proven a particularly potent point of entrance. Building from Menswear, brands continue to tap athletes from across the world of sports to dot their front rows and sport their newest collections, adding nuance to their talent communities and attracting a broader audience. This season, 35 brands collaborated with 68 athletes to generate a total of $14.2M EMV (Earned Media Value).

Of all the athletes in attendance at this year’s shows, David Beckham reigns supreme, generating over $6 million in EMV with a single appearance on the FROW at his wife’s Victoria Beckham show. This is amid a press tour for his family’s new docu-series, with clips of his heydays playing for Manchester United United and England’s national team in the late 1990s and early 2000s flooding our social media feeds. On top of the growing impact athletes have on the fashion industry, Beckham also nods to the wider nostalgia trend happening in culture right now.

Other athletes pierced through the noise this season, albeit at a lower media value. Australian basketball player Liz Cambage came second in the rankings across the month, proving the rising influence of women players in the space. This remains a relatively untapped area in the industry but represents a huge opportunity for luxury brands. You can read more about how brands should engage with athletes in our report, The Influence of Sports.

Download the Karla Otto x Lefty SS24 Womenswear Report to find out key numbers and trends to look out, alongside an exclusive interview with Sabrina Bahsoon, aka ‘Tube Girl’, and more exclusive insights from TikTok .