The Business of Fashion Podcast

Episode Summary: How Fashion Brands Are Winning the Winter Olympics

Date: February 11, 2026
Host: The Business of Fashion (Sheena Butler-Young & Brian Baskin)
Guests: BoF reporters Hailey Crawford & Mike Sykes

Episode Overview

This episode explores how fashion brands are leveraging the Winter Olympics in Milan and Cortina as a major global marketing platform, pivoting from traditional sponsorship and logo placement toward more creative, indirect approaches to reach fans and build their brands. The conversation also compares this evolution to recent fashion moments at the Super Bowl and examines how Olympic rules both restrict and motivate innovation in brand marketing.

Key Discussion Points & Insights

1. Fashion Takes the Field at Major Sporting Events

Super Bowl as a Fashion Platform

• The episode opens with a reflection on the recent Super Bowl, with both Sheena and Mike calling it the most fashion-focused ever (01:31).

• Abercrombie’s official partnership, the GQ Bowl, Tom Browne, Nike and Levi’s x Jordan collaborations signal a new level of brand presence.

• Bad Bunny’s choice of a Zara suit at the halftime show is debated as both a democratizing, accessible move and a surprising use of fast fashion at such a high-profile moment.

  “This was definitely the... definitive fashion super bowl for me... It just felt sort of official in a way to me that it hasn't really ever, to be completely honest.”
  — Mike Sykes (01:42)

  “I could see Zara having quite the business in ivory suits in the next couple of months. It was, I thought, it was amazing.”
  — Sheena Butler-Young (02:22)

2. The Winter Olympics: From Sports Event to Fashion Marketing Bonanza

Growth of Winterwear as a Category

• The Winter Olympics have morphed from mere performance sponsorship to a global showcase for winterwear brands—both technical and lifestyle.

• J.Crew x Team USA capsule collection sold out in 24 hours; Roots and Off Season released fanwear lines, spotlighting consumer desire for fashionable winter gear (05:19).

  “We saw brands like Roots and Off Season producing these kind of fanwear collections. J. Crew also partnered up with Team USA... that sold out within 24 hours.”
  — Hailey Crawford (05:19)

• Growing enthusiasm for skiing in China—now with ~750 ski resorts—illustrates the broader lifestyle appeal and international expansion of winterwear.

3. Navigating Olympic Marketing Rules & Creativity Under Constraint

Rule 40 and its Implications

• Olympic Rule 40 blocks non-official sponsors from using Olympic trademarks, compelling creative marketing (e.g., Roots’ “Rooting for Canada” campaign).

• Brands must carefully time and phrase campaigns to avoid legal issues; only official sponsors can flex Olympic branding.

  “Roots...they’re not an official sponsor...they're not allowed to use the word Olympics...But they can get a little creative...‘Rooting for Canada.’”
  — Hailey Crawford (09:42)

• Athletes themselves are heavily restricted from advertising brands during a window leading up to and including the Games, even as rules have eased somewhat in recent years (10:49).

4. The IOC’s Pilot Programs and Evolving Brand Opportunities

• The International Olympic Committee (IOC) is allowing more brand visibility via pilot programs like “Countdown to Milan,” involving up to 30 brands—an expansion from the Paris 2024 Games (12:31).

  “There are so many ways that they [brands] can play around with it that give the company a spotlight in the periphery of the Games.”
  — Mike Sykes on Oakley (16:26)

• Oakley, as a pilot participant, leverages social media “congrats” posts to indirectly highlight brand-athlete ties.

5. Fanwear, Logomania, and Nationalism

Fanwear’s Evolution

• Fanwear's identity has shifted from boxy jerseys to trend-driven, lifestyle pieces, expanding brand reach and resonance outside the sports arena (19:22).

  “Rather than just having, you know, a jersey with a player's name...their whole brand ethos is making something cute someone actually wants to wear in their day to day.”
  — Hailey Crawford on Off Season fanwear (19:22)

National Pride as a Marketing Play

• Roots, formerly an official Olympic sponsor, and new Canadian brands capitalize on a surge of national pride and related shows like “Heated Rivalry”.
• Nationalism remains a reliable marketing tactic—boosted by social media and TV tie-ins (17:45).

6. The Post-Olympics Effect: Stars and “Stickiness”

Tracking Athletes for Future Brand Deals

• Post-Games, brands and talent agencies monitor athletes who “break out” to sign endorsement and fashion deals as regulation relaxes.

• Past success: Gymnast Suni Lee’s campaigns with Victoria’s Secret, LoveShackFancy, and others showcase “the roadmap” from gold medals to brand ambassadorships (24:34).

  “She [Suni Lee] went to the CFDA Awards… really got involved in the fashion world and sort of built this whole other part of her public persona.”
  — Hailey Crawford (24:34)

• Standouts like figure skater Ilya Malinin (US) are set up as future faces for both their countries and major brands (24:16).

Memorable Quotes

• “This was definitely the... definitive fashion super bowl for me... It just felt sort of official in a way to me that it hasn't really ever, to be completely honest.”
  — Mike Sykes (01:42)
• “J. Crew also partnered up with Team USA or US Ski and Snowboard on a capsule collection that sold out within 24 hours… people were really able to get involved.”
  — Hailey Crawford (05:19)
• “There’s this Rule 40 that blocks a lot of brands who aren't official sponsors from advertising during the Games and of getting creative… getting involved with people beyond just the athletes themselves.”
  — Hailey Crawford (08:33)
• “Rather than just having... a jersey...their whole brand ethos is making something cute someone actually wants to wear in their day to day.”
  — Hailey Crawford (19:22)
• “You can see it (curling) sort of bubbling up.”
  — Mike Sykes (22:27)
• “Suni Lee... started campaigns for Love, Shock, Fancy for Victoria’s Secret Pink… really got super involved in the fashion world.”
  — Hailey Crawford (24:34)

Notable Timestamps

• 01:31 – Mike and Sheena discuss the Super Bowl as a definitive fashion event.
• 02:22 – Bad Bunny’s polarizing Zara suit and accessibility in fashion choices.
• 05:19 – Overview of how the Winter Olympics became a marketing battleground.
• 09:42 – Explanation of Rule 40 and creative branding workarounds.
• 12:31 – IOC’s pilot brand program and increased brand involvement.
• 16:26 – Oakley discusses Olympic marketing opportunities.
• 19:22 – Shift to lifestyle-driven fanwear.
• 24:34 – Suni Lee as a template for post-Olympics brand crossover.

Conclusion

The Milan-Cortina Winter Olympics signal an era where fashion and sport are more entwined than ever, with brands navigating ever-tightening rules to make memorable, strategic plays. While the Olympics remain fiercely policed on sponsorships, creative activations, fanwear, and savvy post-Games partnerships are giving brands and athletes broader, meaningful exposure—and reshaping how the global audience experiences both sport and style.