What did she say that made you think this could be a business?
GREDE I think that brands work best when they’re in lock-step with what’s happening in the wider culture. We’ve seen a seismic shift in the way sports is impacting popular culture — after the Olympics last year, the way the Super Bowl is becoming a global must-watch and how women’s sports has taken center stage. We’ve seen that athletes really understand that fashion can be an accelerator when it comes to building their brands. And so many big brands, whether it be Balenciaga or Chanel, take their cues from sports.
Are you a football fan?
GREDE I grew up going to soccer games with my family in England. I’m from East London, and they all support West Ham, but I’m an Arsenal fan. My husband is a massive, massive American football fan. Now I’m a Lakers season ticket holder. I live around the corner from the U.C.L.A. campus, so I love a bit of women’s basketball. It’s really pure entertainment.
But is it fashion? Most people don’t go to big sports events and think, “So elegant!”
GREDE When you go to games, I would say 90 percent of people are wearing some type of fan gear, and many of them have started to customize it. They take a T-shirt, they roll it up, they cut a sleeve off. It comes down to options. Seven, eight years ago, when we started Good American and were talking about fashion for women of all sizes, I understood that fashionable women exist in bigger sizes, but their options were limited. It’s really just about giving fans at every level a different option. Fans’ love for their teams is boundless.
And priceless?
GREDE What Kristin does feels very different from everything that’s out there. But we’re not just going to create a product — we also need to create the audience for it. Then we’re going to corner that market.
I think there’s this huge space when it comes to serving the fans and their needs. We’re thinking about this as a full line: men’s, women’s and not just for these five teams, but for all 32 teams, and for other leagues.
We’ll have a little surprise around the Super Bowl, and then we’ll start with what is essentially our spring collection around March, April. It’s probably not what you would imagine from the first launch.
