Fanatics boosting growth with branded and female-focused collabs

Fanatics Commerce, a leading designer, manufacturer, and seller of licensed fan gear, jerseys, lifestyle and streetwear products, is looking to produce more branded and female-focused collaborations following the successful launch of its Lululemon x Fanatics x NHL collection last week.

The collection with Canadian activewear brand Lululemon launched on October 29, featuring some of its most popular men’s and women’s products, such as its Steady State Crew and Scuba Half-Zip hoodie emblazoned with the logos and colours of 11 National Hockey League (NHL) teams, including Toronto Maple Leafs, New York Rangers, Boston Bruins and Chicago Blackhawks.

NHL said that the response from fans was “explosive,” with the collection attracting 80 percent of all NHL merchandising sales on the launch day, with the women’s products being “hot sellers,” accounting for 40 percent of all sales, and Fanatics sold more Lululemon than any other brand they carry.

On the success, Vicky Picca, senior vice president of business affairs at Fanatics Commerce, told FashionUnited over Zoom: “We saw a huge opportunity with this collaboration. We know women have been watching sports for a long time and looking for appropriate products that are better quality. With Lululemon, we can offer a more fashionable, more elevated product that’s more female-focused.

"The fan response to the NHL x Lululemon collection has been incredible, especially among female fans. This collection furthers our commitment to provide a wider assortment of products by bringing Lululemon’s premium performance and loungewear apparel to NHL fans."

Female fans respond positively to Lululemon x Fanatics x NHL collection launch

When it comes to branded collaborations, the NHL can be overshadowed by the National Football League (NFL), National Basketball Association (NBA) and Major League Baseball (MLB), but Fanatics, which holds licensing and e-commerce partnerships with all those organisations, is looking to change that with its collaboration with Lululemon.

While elevating the NHL, the collaboration with Lululemon also fits into Fanatics strategy to offer more fashionable and elevated fan merchandise, as well as boost its women’s-specific merchandise, to cater for female fans who are demanding more from their favourite teams.

Picca added: “We are very much focused on tapping into this more premium, elevated offering, alongside the traditional fan gear to make sure things are accessible as well. A lot of the time people want a T-shirt with a logo, and we offer that, but we are also looking to expand our reach by talking to new customers with this more premium product to have a greater share of closet.

“You’ll start to see more brand collaborations with brand names you know, as well as a more elevated product.”

As well as being a win for Fanatics and the NHL, Lululemon, which added Chicago Blackhawks’ Connor Bedard as its first NHL player to join the brand’s ambassador roster last year, is using the collaboration as a stepping stone to grow its presence in professional sports and expand its reach among men and sports fans.

The initial launch was for only 11 NHL teams for the 2024-25 season, with Fanatics adding that the collaboration with Lululemon will expand to the full 32 teams for the 2025-26 season.

Commenting on the collection, Andrew Low Ah Kee, chief executive at Fanatics Commerce, said: “This new collection is a pivotal moment in how we connect both men and women to the teams they love - bringing them together in style and comfort through a truly premium assortment.”

Fanatics Commerce looking to tap into premium, elevated fanwear

Since 2002, Fanatics Commerce has grown into a 6 billion US dollar business, and driving that growth is the NFL, the company’s biggest market, a sport that is having a surge in female fans thanks in part to singer Taylor Swift, influencer Alix Earle and designer Kristin Juszczyk.

Catering to that female fanbase, one of the leading collections from Fanatics is ‘Wear by Erin Andrews,’ a women’s apparel line from the Fox Sports reporter offering versatile, elevated styles “that celebrate fandom in a fun and flattering way”. It debuted in 2019 with a capsule collection of nine pieces for the NFL that included T-shirts, hoodies, and sweats and it has become one of the fastest-growing women’s fan gear brands and has seen its sales increase each year.

“When we first collaborated with Erin Andrews, we weren’t sure if it was a drop or a line,” explained Picca. “Five years later and it has evolved to offer over 300 styles for 150 plus teams across five major leagues, including the NFL, NBA, NHL, MLB, and most recently, college.”

Picca adds that its celebrity collaboration with Andrews was a “testing and learning” experience for the company and that business model is being used to develop further collections, such as with American singer and musician Darius Rucker, who has a collection of vintage and rugged-inspired pieces for the NFL and MLB and has quickly become a top-five NFL brand selling on its website.

Picca adds: “Both of these collections started with the NFL, and we’ve been able to roll them out into other partnerships and other leagues. They’ve become building blocks for what can be achieved, and we are looking to bring in more elevated brands and celebrity collaborations as we think the appetite is there.”

One of these elevated brand collaborations was with LA-based fashion and lifestyle brand Staud, which launched an NFL collection earlier this year. Working with Fanatics, Staud reimagined a number of its signature pieces, including the Shoko knit button-up sweater dress, Cargo jumper and its Shirley handbag, in NFL team-inspired colourways so that female fans could “elevate their game day fashion”.

With regards to what’s next for Fanatics, Picca said: “You will see more influencer-type collabs in the coming months, which I have high expectations for. But again, there will be a lot of testing and learning.”