Fashionable Footballers
February 20, 2024
Fashion and football is a pairing that has been recently trending over the past few years. If you search “nfl player outfits” on TikTok, thousands of viral videos pop up. Teams across the nation post videos and photos on their social media of their players’ pregame fashion. The Kansas City Chiefs, for example, post Instagram carousels of their fashionable players (one of whom is SMU Alum Rashee Rice) for almost every game. Athlete stylists have gone viral on TikTok as well. You might have never thought to put the two together, but now that even collegiate athletes have the opportunity to get paid for their name and image likeness (NIL), players have been elevating their style.
On game days at SMU, the whole football team walks down the boulevard in a parade called Mustang Walk. It’s a sort of hype walk where they can greet friends and family before the game. Though the players don’t get to dress up quite as much as the NFL teams do, the pre-planned nike sets do help them look like a team. As a photographer for the team, I’ve been loving to see how the players will accessorize their pregame uniforms. The coaches are dripped out in their suits and nikes. The players wear custom SMU gear and many have flashy chains, diamond studded jewels, and sunglasses that help personalize their looks.
“I’m a big shades guy,” said SMU defensive back Isaiah Nwokobia. “I try to get different brands of shades and that’s how I put my own kind of style on it.”
His favorite pair of shades are his Alexander McQueens. If you scroll through his instagram @zaay4pf, you’ll see a different pair of shades for almost every outfit.
“Whatever you’re into, put your own flavor on it to make it unique to yourself,” said Nwokobia. “The name brands stuff doesn’t really matter as long as what you’re wearing you feel good in and you feel like it’s genuinely you - that’s what I try to focus on.”
Nwokobia has seen the social media hype for the NFL pregame fits and maybe hopes to be a part of that one day. Many of the NFL pregame fits are featured in GQ, a men’s fashion and style magazine.
While being a part of a team can make some feel just like a team player, new laws about NIL in college athletics have helped many players differentiate themselves. Many collegiate programs across the country have been helping athletes navigate the individualization of NIL opportunities at their schools. Until now, the National Collegiate Athletic Association prohibited student athletes from profiting off of their individual name and image likeness. The NIL bill in Texas was signed by Governor Abbot this summer and became law on July 1st. This law now allows colleges and some private institutions (based on interpretation of the bill’s text) to interact with collectives and other third party entities with its players. Basically, collegiate athletes can use their schools facilities, logos, and other identifiers in connection with a NIL contract with the school’s permission. Rules and regulations surrounding NIL are tricky and cumbersome, and sometimes not always clearly defined. But, SMU is helping players navigate this new world, on and off the field.
SMU alumni, fans, and donors came together and created a program called Boulevard Collective that helps connect athletes with opportunities that will further their professional career.
“The Boulevard Collective has provided us with unique opportunities for community engagement and partnerships with local businesses,” said SMU wide receiver Jake Bailey. “We’ve been able to help out with the Red Cross and pack bags for the kids so it’s been awesome. The Dallas and SMU community as a whole is definitely a part of what made me decide to ultimately come to SMU.”
SMU’s Giving Day features a program called Life After Ball (LAB) that helps connect all athletes from all sports to SMU Alumni and other Dallas professionals. The LAB program teaches life and professional skills to help them be successful in a job after college.
“A big difference between SMU and a lot of other programs is that it’s not just about what we can do for them but what they can do for us,” said Nwokobia.
Bailey also finds his fashion and career inspiration on the NFL field.
“When I got number 12, I just started following all the other players I knew who wore number 12 so I could see how they styled it and how they put their own spin on their jersey number,” said Bailey.
One of his main influences is Odell Beckham Jr, a wide receiver for the Baltimore Ravens.
“I actually used to wear studs during games and stuff and that’s how I would personalize my team travel fits,” said Bailey. “Then I got them ripped out during a game and have never worn earrings again.” Ouch.
SMU Football has collaborated with local Dallas fashion and accessory brands like True Brvnd to provide opportunities for publicity and new merch drops for SMU fans and athletes alike. True Brvnd has made a name for themselves around Dallas by creating embroidered trucker hats with an upside down “DALLAS” logo. They create new styles and color ways based on different sports teams and events happening around Dallas. Fans go crazy for them. The first SMU x True Brvnd trucker hat collaboration over the summer sold out in seconds. I couldn’t even get my hands on one. During football season, True Brvnd collaborated with SMU Football again and sold game tickets along with the purchase of a hat. Genius right?
SMU Football Alum, Ra Kazadi, has done a lot of work with a Louisiana based company called Sneaker Politics. Their storefront in Dallas has been home to other SMU Football alums like the Chiefs wide receiver, Rashee Rice. Yet another way of connecting football and fashion that has taken off.
“People just want to copy whatever’s hot right now, and that’s cool, but I like to wear stuff that’s a little bit older,” said Nwokobia. “I like the classics. As a kid I remember standing in line for hours just to try to get a pair of Jordans. I’ll probably still be wearing Jordans in my 40s.”