In September, British label Labrum London became the first-ever brand to stage a fashion show at Arsenal’s Emirates Stadium. Arsenal midfielder Declan Rice walked the show alongside presenter Clara Amfo and rapper Ghetts. Players Riccardo Calafiori and Myles Lewis-Skelly watched from the pitch side, among the company of the fashion crowd and celebrities including presenter Reggie Yates, actor Micheal Ward and footballer-turned-broadcaster Eniola Aluko.
Arsenal is, of course, not the only club exploring fashion. Designer Kenny Annan-Jonathan was appointed as creative lead at Crystal Palace last year, while Rhude founder Rhuigi Villaseñor was announced chief brand officer at Italy’s Como 1907 just last month. In 2021, Off-White signed a long-term partnership with AC Milan. “I went to Ib Kamara’s talk [about the collaboration] at Milan Fashion Week,” says Anna Ross, global head of trend and insight at brand agency Karla Otto. “[The audience] was really quite different to who you’d see at a normal fashion event, I didn’t really recognise anyone in the room. So it definitely brings a new type of consumer.”
