Athlete Brand Partnerships
Athlete Marketing & Branded Content · VP roles at Saks Fifth Avenue and Peerless Clothing
Objective
Build athlete-led brand partnerships that extended Calvin Klein, Hart Schaffner Marx, and DSquared2 into new sports-and-culture audiences the brands had not previously reached at scale. Convert athlete cultural reach into retail traffic, brand-perception lift, and earned media for each property.
Actions
Iman Shumpert x Calvin Klein x Bleacher Report — partnered with NBA all-star Iman Shumpert and Bleacher Report in-house style expert Lance Fresh for a behind-the-scenes feature inside Iman's closet, featuring Calvin Klein suits and Lance leading the conversation about appropriate occasions. Produced a quick-hitting content montage distributed across the Bleacher Report social ecosystem. Built shoppable media and influencer marketing extensions tied to the partnership.
Tim Anderson x Hart Schaffner Marx — styled MLB shortstop Tim Anderson for the campaign shoot at the Chicago White Sox stadium, anchoring HSM's made-in-Chicago heritage to the city's most visible cultural institution. Activated the campaign across social, print, and outdoor signage around the stadium. Hosted a made-to-measure event for the White Sox team. Distributed content via in-stadium signage, White Sox social channels, and Sox TV.
Dwyane Wade x DSquared2 — launched the exclusive 9-piece DSquared2 x Dwyane Wade collection covering both day and evening looks. Hosted a launch event at the Saks Fifth Avenue New York flagship where designers Dean and Dan Caten and Dwyane Wade engaged directly with customers on the men's floor. Sold the capsule exclusively at select Saks Fifth Avenue stores and on saks.com.
Results
Extended Calvin Klein tailored clothing into a new sports-and-culture audience the brand had not previously reached at scale, with shoppable links driving customers to the nearest Macy's. Delivered national HSM brand awareness with concentrated lift in the Chicago market and built brand loyalty inside the White Sox fan community. Grew the DSquared2 customer base at Saks by reaching Wade's NBA and lifestyle audience and generated trade press across fashion, sports, and lifestyle channels. Across all three partnerships, demonstrated a repeatable athlete-collaboration playbook that scaled across both Peerless-licensed brands and a Saks third-party designer activation.