Streetwear and luxury media publisher Highsnobiety is expanding its coverage to include a new separate section on the role of sports in culture.
Dubbed Highsnobiety Sports, the vertical includes not only special editorial content on the convergence of sports and fashion, but also product collaborations and a pop-up store in Los Angeles, opening May 11.
This store will further Highsnobiety’s global retail strategy. Earlier this year, it opened a retail concept store at Zurich Airport, featuring a range of contemporary, luxury and sportswear brands, from Salomon to Balenciaga.
Highsnobiety Sports is the latest in a series of projects that includes the publication’s coverage of Paris Fashion Week “Not in Paris” as well as “Berlin, Berlin,” which also combine editorial storytelling with brand collaborations and in-person events.
These franchises are part of the company’s strategy to build its audience and drive sales by targeting consumers with niche products in specific markets, according to Highsnobiety founder and CEO David Fischer.
“It’s the perfect intersection for us between content, commerce and community,” said Fischer.
As part of its sports division, Highsnobiety has co-designed clothing with a range of sportswear and outdoor brands such as Merrell, Gramicci and Wilson.
The collection giveaways will be accompanied by sporting events, such as a walk co-sponsored by the Jack Wolfskin brand and a group run with the Soar brand.
“We specifically focused on sports where there was previously a lot of control, like cycling, hiking and swimming, all sports that are now changing culturally, and we felt like we could really put the spotlight on that,” Fischer said.
In recent years, traditionally inaccessible sports like tennis, golf and racing have gained mass appeal and become culturally diverse, opening up new business opportunities for fashion brands and companies like Highsnobiety.
Source: www.businessoffashion.com