Jordan Brand Is Collaborating With One of Soccer’s Coolest Clubs
There were plenty of magical moments in France’s World Cup victory over Croatia: the feet of Kylian Mbappé, the fastest teenager alive, turning into a roadrunner-type blur, or Antoine Griezmann skipping a penalty into the back of the net. But there was another image that immediately stood out in the aftermath of France’s win: Paul Pogba hitting the dab, bringing his newly claimed golden trophy just up to his chest—and, to the presumed delight of almost everyone in Beaverton, just inches away from the Nike swoosh logo on his jersey. France’s players weren’t the only ones celebrating a hard-fought victory: Nike’s fight for relevance in the world of soccer has been a long one, and the World Cup final represented a significant milestone. According to Bloomberg, 44 percent of players wore Nike during the World Cup in Germany, in 2010; in 2014, at the tournament in Brazil, that number climbed to 53 percent. This year, in Russia, 65 percent of players wore Nike. Adidas is usually the goliath in European soccer, the same way Nike dominates the sneaker market in the U.S. But Nike’s strategy—best represented by a Swoosh-ified World Cup, is starting to pay dividends.
Sales for Nike’s soccer division are up since the World Cup, according to Bloomberg, and now the brand appears poised to turn on the afterburners like Mbappé streaking down the side. At a concert in Paris last week, Justin Timberlake debuted new collaborative gear from Jordan Brand and Parisian soccer club Paris Saint-Germain. So far, there’s only the sleek coach’s jacket worn by Timberlake: black with a massive white Jordan logo on the back, circled by the club’s name. But there are rumors that the collaboration is merely the beginning of an expansive partnership between Jordan and PSG, and that the club might become the first to actually play in Jumpman-branded kits next season. Jordan declined to comment on the rumors.
PSG is already the European club of choice of hypebeasts who think that the “beautiful game” is a reference to the on-pitch fashion. Mbappé, who plays for PSG, actually wore Off-White Mercurial 360 boots in a match last year, and the team's become a favorite of folks like Virgil Abloh and Rihanna. Plus, Jordan is slated to release a PSG-themed shoe later this year.
If Jordan does suit up PSG next season, Nike will be replicating a strategy it’s used successfully here in the states with other sports. The Beaverton-based brand uses both Nike and Jordan brand to dominate the basketball market and has deals with a large majority of NBA players. Last year, according to Bloomberg, Adidas expected to make $401 million from basketball. That sounds like a lot of money—until you find out that Nike made $1.29 billion from basketball in 2017.
Those revenue numbers are flipped in the soccer market, though, where Adidas is the perennial leader. The gap in soccer sales is much smaller between the two companies, though: in 2016, Adidas made $3 billion from soccer while Nike made $2.1. Nike, though, doesn’t appear to be satisfied with being second-place anywhere. The brand now has more deals than Adidas with the 100 highest-paid soccer players, is dressing more World Cup teams, and has that rumored Jordan collaboration with PSG on the way.
Nike’s push into soccer makes sense given the current tides of fashion. The line separating soccer and streetwear are blurring as hip-hop stars like Drake don jerseys and designers like Abloh and Dior’s Kim Jones rework the sport’s gear. Nike isn’t just making a play for people who know the difference between a 4-4-2 formation and a 4-5-1, but for a potential new generation of customers who treat soccer jerseys the same way they treat basketball sneakers: like legitimate fashion items.
