Dior designer Kim Jones understands better than maybe any other modern designer that fashion today is a team sport. At Louis Vuitton, he collaborated with Supreme; at Dior, he invited Travis Scott to co-design his latest collection. So it was only a matter of time before he started working with an actual sports team. And no squad appreciates superstars coming together quite like Paris Saint-Germain, which had the ultimate linking-and-building summer. The team brought in Sergio Ramos, goalie Gianluigi Donnarumma, and GOAT candidate Lionel Messi to join superstars like Neymar and Kylian Mbappe. Now, PSG and Dior are linking up themselves in the name of good style.
Dior is signing a two-year deal with Paris Saint-Germain to provide the powerhouse Parisian club’s official wardrobe, in what will be the house’s first deal with a sports team. That means the likes of Messi and Mbappe (provided he doesn’t skip town) will be dressed in casual and formal Dior outfits for matches. Formal outfits consist of a black suit, a tie lightly embossed with the PSG logo, and derby shoes with the player’s jersey number planted on the insole. Harrington jackets and knitted sweaters make up the casual outfits. PSG previously received pre-game fits from Hugo Boss, while Dior was last seen dressing up a righteous pair of Air Jordans.
Unsurprisingly, fashion houses are interested in dressing the greatest players in the world. Specifically, where Leo Messi goes, fashion deals seem to follow. Messi previously showed up to play for his former club FC Barcelona in Thom Browne’s signature shrunken suits. Browne told us about the benefits of folks like Messi wearing his clothes when he struck the deal: “[the Barcelona collaboration] is reaching a lot more people that, I think in a way, never even considered wearing Thom Browne.” And while Dior is no small name, as NBA players have proven over the last decade or so, there’s a different type of visibility that comes with dressing legendary athletes.
For Paris Saint-Germain, this deal is all about finding new ways to become more than a soccer club. “With this partnership, Paris Saint-Germain continues its pioneering foray into the world of fashion and lifestyle,” the press release reads. Do you know what’s cooler than being a sports team? Being a brand. The club is clearly interested in turning PSG’s kit into something like a Yankees cap: more of a fashion statement than a binding pledge of loyalty to any team. Before the Dior deal, PSG partnered with Jordan to make kits and gear coveted by folks who think VAR is just a new direct-to-consumer brand. Interest from Dior proves that PSG’s strategy is gaining steam.
All eyes will be on PSG this season as it fields one of the most star-powered squads across Europe. There will surely be style to spare on the pitch between Messi, Neymar, and Mbappe, and this deal with Dior ensures the team will look just as good off the pitch as it does on it.
