A thing of beauty

The GIST: The WNBA’s Golden State Valkyries are hitting the runway tomorrow for an inaugural fashion show presented by Sephora. A celebration of basketball, fashion, and beauty, this is just Sephora’s latest foray into the sports arena — a place the brand is thriving in.

• For beauty companies, capitalizing on the women's sports space isn’t just culturally resonant, it’s smart business. By connecting beauty with athleticism to target a progressive audience, brands can create authentic experiences that translate into business value. A thing of beauty.

The details: Building off their partnership announced in April, the fashion show will take place on a custom Sephora-branded runway in the Valkyries’ Chase Center arena and feature 15 curated pieces, including two designed by Valkyries guard Tiffany Hayes. Fans will also see exclusive, fashion-related content across the team’s socials throughout the week.

The trend: Advertising in sports has traditionally included logos on jerseys and commercials with star athletes, but beauty brands have taken an additional approach: IRL activations that purposefully target women fans — a notoriously underserved fandom, despite an estimated 72% of women globally identifying as avid sports fans — with the goal of getting products into consumers’ hands.

• And data shows this type of try-before-you-buy advertising works: 70% of consumers become repeat customers after experiencing a brand in person, while receiving a product sample could increase purchase probability by up to 300%.

Zooming out: In a world where athletes like rugby icon Ilona Maher are advocating for a multidimensional version of empowered feminism, one where beauty belongs in sports, activating within the space using an experiential approach to brand marketing makes sense. It’s part of a long overdue correction to what sports and women who love sports look like.

• And that means rethinking the traditional definition of brand fit: Beauty companies like Sephora and E.l.f. Cosmetics continue to find success in sports — in women’s pro leagues like the WNBA and PWHL but also in historically male-dominated spaces the NFL and NASCAR. Told ’em so.

The GIST: This week saw three major partnerships between women-forward companies and men’s sports leagues and athletes, demonstrating a new movement to recognize and celebrate female fandom of men’s sports. It drives home what The GIST has known since the beginning: Women fans love all sports, so brands and leagues are finally seeking to serve them.

⚾ MLB and Rebel Girls: The baseball league worked with the girls’ empowerment brand to showcase three women who work in the Baltimore Orioles’ front office, demonstrating what’s possible for women and girls seeking careers in the sport.

• This comes on the heels of MLB’s support for AUSL’s inaugural season, which aimed to bring softball fans into the MLB family. The moves are prescient: Data shows that nearly 40% of game attendees and viewers are women, and the league’s efforts to engage with them go a long way.

🏈 The NFL and Abercrombie & Fitch: As of yesterday, Abercrombie will be the NFL’s first official fashion partner. The multiyear partnership entails limited-edition products, activations in the NFL’s retail locations and around key moments on the league’s calendar, and “Style Concierge” services for select players this season.

• This is the latest in the NFL’s push to connect with its women fans, which it says make up nearly half of regular viewers. Another way the league is reaching out to women? Well, it recently partnered with a pretty great, women-focused sports media outlet…

🐯 Cincinnati Bengals quarterback (QB) Joe Burrow and Alo: The women-forward athletic and athleisure apparel brand best known for its yoga gear launched a new campaign helmed by the popular QB. The Conquer collection is designed for a high-performance, active lifestyle — and building it around Burrow will help the brand attract NFL fans of all genders.

• Burrow is a former Heisman Trophy winner and one of the game’s most respected QBs, but he’s also a media darling that women fans love. Calling Joe Cool.

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