Footballers are an asset for Creative directors

If you’re among those who still believe that footballers should only and exclusively focus on football, that any other passion takes away time and energy from the only thing that really matters, your time is up. The latest editions of Milan Fashion Week and Paris Fashion Week confirmed a trend: footballers are not just fashion enthusiasts, they want to (and can) be protagonists. Rafa Leão stepping onto the runway for PDF in Milan and Mario Balotelli making waves in Paris at the latest KidSuper fashion show are the latest examples of how football and fashion have become interconnected worlds. We've seen it on the pitch, of course, with brands increasingly focused on the idea of creating a jersey that can be worn on any occasion. We've also seen it off the pitch, with formal wear lines designed to bring a touch of style and elegance to official moments.

Footballers on the Runway

What we are witnessing now is the next phase, the moment when football is stepping onto the runway. And not just in the sense that connections with various brands secure front row seats at shows, like in the case of Joules Koundé attending the Dior, Willy Chavarria, and JACQUEMUS shows, just to name a few from the latest Paris Fashion Week. There’s a real desire to take a leading role, to break free from the image that has been stitched onto them and give voice to the most eclectic side of their personality. Footballers no longer want to be just footballers. Not just in the way we imagine them living between home and the training center. There’s a strong urge to go beyond even the perception of the famous figure who has nothing to say without a ball at their feet. Additionally, it’s not even about emancipation. There is an entire generation of players who aren’t overly concerned with the potential consequences of their off-pitch activities, they do it because it’s a natural extension of their character, and they don’t believe it affects their performance on the pitch in the slightest.

It’s not just about desire either. It’s also a necessity. Any professional athlete today must know how to build an image that goes beyond sports in order to become attractive to brands. Of course, it’s possible that in the case of Leão and Balotelli (as well as Joe Willock for 424 and Miles Lewis-Skelly for Wales Bonner), walking the runway was more of a one-night fun experience than a media move to launch a parallel career. But that’s not the point: football can no longer be considered just a sport, along with all the false beliefs that surround it. It’s a mix of many commercial aspects, and fashion is one of them, so it’s only natural for footballers to be drawn to it.

Footballers Are a Resource for Creative Directors, Not the Other Way Around

There is also – and perhaps more importantly – another side of the coin worth exploring: a perspective that might represent the real novelty to focus on, namely the fact that footballers are gradually becoming a resource, if not a hope, for creative directors.

Let’s be clear: for a creative director, the moment of the fashion show is only truly useful if utilized fully. It’s a brief moment, lasting around ten minutes, in which one must try to impress the audience with every tool available. Expressing the joy of inclusion, or simply stirring up buzz or humor, is one possible route. Including footballers, whether they are past legends or current talents, falls into that category; it’s also a chance to connect old and new generations to fashion, through the inclusion of their idols.

But it’s also true that putting footballers on the runway is a way to give something back that, as athletes, they never really had. Think of the criticism Balotelli faced for wearing a Carrera, a crucifix, or some accessory deemed too flashy during his time at Inter. Well, regaining the freedom of expression on a runway, thanks to a creative director who believes in you and in the footballers’ desire to express themselves, is a pure aspect in its essence and should not be underestimated.