The playoffs are over — the Knicks fashion opportunity is just beginning

Sports have offered something positive that people can agree on, noted Jodie Snyder Morel, co-founder of the fashion-forward licensed-apparel brand Dannijopro. “After Covid, sports became bigger than ever. The world is so divided in so many ways, including politics. AI is changing a lot of industries — sports are one of the only things that people can find common ground on.”

After trailing by 16 points early in the final game of the finals, the Knicks mounted yet another impressive comeback in the closing minutes of Game 5, as team captain Jalen Brunson scored 13 consecutive fourth-quarter points to seal the franchise’s win. Immediately, the streets of New York City erupted — and so did the retail opportunity.

Brands quickly launched championship merchandise, building on weeks of surging demand from both new and longtime Knicks fans eager to stock their closets with blue-and-orange gear.

Kendall Glazer, co-founder of Stoney Clover Lane, grew up a sports fan, and her brand has created sports-related merchandise for several years now, beginning with the NFL in 2023. “Something I found so beautiful about this entire thing has been the welcoming of any type of fan, whether you are a lifelong Knicks fan, whether you’re just going to a bar with your friends and want to look cute, whether you became a fan six weeks ago — everybody is embracing everybody [else]. And I think that, in New York, and in the sports world, that’s not always the case,” she said.

Ten days ago, Stoney Clover set up a pop-up-in-shop at its West Village outpost to celebrate and capitalize on the city’s energy. “We love sports, but we also love fandoms, culture and being a part of the moment,” Glazer said, adding that she called a number of friends to make the pop-up special. Birdie’s, another West Village business, supplied frozen yogurt; Spicy Dan sent over Knicks-colored necklaces; and ’47, which Stoney Clover has collaborated with before, sent its own finals merch. In addition, Stoney Clover and ’47 worked together to produce Knicks-themed items, such as bag charms and patches, domestically, with an impressively quick turnaround.

The pop-up was scheduled for June 8-10, but demand outpaced expectations, and the brand decided to keep it open until June 12 — before deciding to keep it open through June 18, driven by ongoing demand due to the New York Knicks Championship Parade held that day.

“There was basically a line from the moment we opened till the moment we closed, Glazer said. “Every single day, we would have to shut down the line and [ask people to] come back the next day, just because of capacity.”

She added, “We were [originally wondering], ‘Are people going to come to the store?’ We knew there was a demand for merch, but I didn’t know how we would fit into that conversation.”

Proving its place was a common thread among the brands interviewed for this piece, all of which have seen increased demand, notably from female sports fans.

Danielle Meyer, founder of the jewelry brand Spicy Dan, said the brand participated in the Stoney Clover Lane pop-up with a necklace that had been part of Spicy Dan’s collection for about three years, dating back to when Meyer first became a Knicks fan through her fiancé.

“I [originally] made it for my own personal use, so I could wear it to the garden and rep [my own brand] at games,” she said. “It’s funny, because it has kind of just been sitting there, and then, this season, it has popped off.” She added that some customers have chosen to go the custom route, using the brand’s “Build-a-Drip” tool to create their own orange-and-blue combos.

Glazer said women taking an interest in sports is not new, though the options for expressing their fandom have never been more abundant. “You’re seeing more women join the conversation,” she said. “You’re seeing women create incredible outfits [around sporting events], … and people are paying attention to that instead of [mocking] women for caring about [what they wear] to a sports game. It’s become part of the culture, and it’s a way to show off your fandom and creativity, whether it’s through customization, like we offer, or the way you’re styling [your clothes]. People want an outlet for their creativity so badly — [to show the] interests they have, and what makes them unique.”

Morel noted a shift, too. “The way sports are incorporated in the fashion world right now seems different from the way they have in the past,” she said. “People are mixing in vintage jerseys, and I’ll buy something because I’m obsessed with the way it looks. It’s a bonus if I love the team. You have this fashion crowd that is sporty, and then you also have these people that are [actually] huge sports fans and want to represent that.”

That growing overlap between fashion and fandom has created enormous opportunities for brands — but unlike most fashion trends, sports moments can’t be planned for. Even for the industry’s most well-resourced companies have a hard time creating timely merch.

Seventy-nine-year-old ’47 Brand is one of the ultimate go-tos for licensed sporting apparel. “The championship moments are always huge for the brand, regardless of the league,” said Kelsey Newton, the brand’s senior director of marketing. “The volatility in our business is entirely dependent on what teams make the playoffs — it’s the one element of our business that is entirely unpredictable.”

Given that ‘47’s focus is entirely on sports, it is, however, better equipped than just about anyone else to quickly produce new merchandise as teams advance through the playoffs and as a champion is crowned. In fact, Newton explained, “We literally have what is called ‘If Win’ collections, and we start ideating on the concepts throughout the season. … The designers are always heads-down, hard at work, building out exactly what each team’s individual collection would look like.”

Newton has been with the brand for nearly five years and noted that, while there have been a number of what the brand calls “hot market” moments, none has captured the greater country’s attention quite like the Knicks’ championship win. The New York Times’ The Athletic perhaps best captured how the Knicks’ run had transcended New York itself, writing: “For the past few weeks, they’ve turned the New York Knicks into America’s team,” referring to the Knicks team members, many of whom have become bona fide celebrities over the past few weeks.

For ’47, Newton said, this meant leaning into the cultural moment the win had become. “For us, the big priority around this moment was the storytelling opportunity, [looking at] how we could create a sense of community and really lean into the emotionality around this moment outside of [the sport itself].”

Newton called the brand’s sales around this playoff run “record-breaking,” noting how significant that is given that there are plenty of exciting moments in sports and certainly have been throughout the brand’s nearly 80-year history. Echoing Glazer, Newton said, “It wasn’t just the die-hard Knicks fans that were looking to participate; everyone was just like, ‘OK, go Knicks.’ So, it was just a very, very unique [moment].”

According to Newton, New York teams’ merch is a perennial bestseller. That includes the Knicks’ merch, even though it lacks the “NY” iconography that appears on the city’s other teams’ logos. “It’s easy to wear a New York logo, in general — it’s [almost] a fashion default,” she said. “And the Knicks have a cultural significance. [They] are a top-performing team for us, in general.”

In addition to making its own merch, ’47 teamed up with Stoney Clover Lane and Sporty & Rich to create additional Knicks gear. Stoney Clover Lane’s was only available at its IRL pop-up in New York City, while the Sporty & Rich Knicks hat and sweatshirt sold out nearly immediately on the Sporty & Rich e-commerce website, Newton said. As offerings for female sports fans grow (see: the launch of Dannijopro, etc.), ’47 is prioritizing its women’s assortment. In fact, Newton said, growing the category is “in our top two business objectives” for the year. She noted that, last year, the brand introduced mock-neck sweatshirts, as popularized by Parke; and this year, it has added shorts to its women’s collection.

As it has been for ’47, the past few months have also been record-breaking for New York or Nowhere, which has produced Knicks merch since 2018. In recent years, the popularity of its Knicks merch has waned as its more recent MLB offerings have gained attention. But, now, “that’s just totally [flipped] on its head,” said Quincy Moore, president and CEO, adding, “The biggest thing that has happened is that the Knicks brand has just exploded in popularity, so we’ve now doubled our buys for fall already — just because we know the demand is going to be greater than it’s ever been.”

Unlike other officially licensed brands — see: ’47, Mitchell & Ness, New Era, Terez, etc. ± New York or Nowhere did not drop a full championship collection, but rather just one $75 T-shirt, launched after Saturday’s win. It will not ship for six weeks.

In spite of the wait, Moore said, “It is our No. 1-selling SKU in history. We did seven figures off of that one T-shirt within 24 hours.” The brand’s evergreen Knicks collection, meanwhile, is mostly entirely sold out. For the brand, this moment has been a major one for new customer acquisition — approximately 68% of buyers who purchased a Knicks product since the start of the playoffs were new customers, and 60% of those buyers were female, a rep for the brand shared.

Eventually, likely before the end of the calendar year, New York or Nowhere will drop a commemorative championship capsule collection, alongside a new evergreen Knicks collection. Moore is not worried that interest will have waned by then, he said.

“No, this is just the beginning. I mean, think about it; think about all the bandwagon fans. Think about all the people who now love the Knicks who didn’t love the Knicks two months ago. The potential market for this product has just exploded.”

Beauty didn’t sit this out, though

While fashion had the more obvious opportunity to participate in the playoff frenzy through official merch and other blue-and-orange items, beauty made sure to seize the moment, too. That included Saie, which became the only beauty brand to sponsor the Knicks — a noteworthy move at a time when countless beauty brands have rushed to sponsor WNBA teams.

Countless beauty brands chimed in to celebrate the historic win on social. InnBeauty Project posted on Instagram, writing, “Pro-level formulas. Champion-level skin. The results don’t lie. KNICKS IN FIVE.” While on Threads, Dieux posted: “My skin is glowing. My barrier revived. You’re dieux-ing great. Knicks in five.” Summer Fridays partnered with Ali Brunson, Jalen Brunson’s wife, on her pre-game glam — she posted about the brand’s under-eye masks. In addition, Brunson partnered with the bedding brand Boll & Branch.

And some brands activated beyond social, too. Tarte, for example, found a way to tie its latest launch to the moment. “At Tarte, we’ve always believed the best launches happen when beauty intersects with culture. With the playoffs capturing the energy of New York, we saw an opportunity to celebrate the fans,” said Maureen Kelly, the brand’s founder and CEO, regarding the brand’s playoff strategy: It gifted a curated group of Knicks fans early access to its unreleased orange faux freckle stick, alongside Knicks merch. “The response was incredible. Now, we have more than 22,000 people on the waitlist. It [served as a] reminder that when you authentically tap into a cultural moment, excitement follows naturally,” Kelly said.

On Saturday night, as fans took to the streets celebrating, Glossier, which has historically partnered with the WNBA, published a social post congratulating the Knicks and announcing that the first 20 guests to visit its Soho store and use the code words “I LOVE NY” would receive a special gift of an upcoming launch.

“This moment reinforced something we’re thinking a lot about: celebrating New York through the people, places and moments that make the city feel alive,” said Glossier’s CMO Nicole Solórzano.

As other interviewees also noted, the response exceeded expectations. “A line formed before the store even opened, and all the products were gone within minutes,” Solórzano said. The upcoming “I LOVE NY” Balm Dotcom was created in partnership with the New York State Tourism Board, so, she said, the timing felt natural. “When a cultural moment intersects so clearly with your brand’s roots and what your community cares deeply about, it’s magic.”

Week in review

• Free People teamed with British designer Matthew Williamson on a capsule collection. Williamson largely stepped away from the fashion world in 2016 to focus on his interior and lifestyle brand. This collection brings fans a taste of his colorful, boho style in the form of sequin-embellished mini dresses, striped flares and fringed sarongs.
  
• Dr. Diamond’s Metacine, known for having fashion-savvy fans, partnered with Janessa Leoné on The Summer Essentials Set ($550), which encompasses the brand’s signature InstaFacial Plasma serum and Leoné’s Suni Bucket Hat, with a red leather strap — Dr. Diamond’s brand color. Just don’t forget your SPF.
  
• Alex Mill and Margaux teamed for the second time, this time on a single style — the Selene, a $345 flat slip-on, available in red satin, butter yellow leather and a crinkle espresso leather.
  
• New brand to watch: Last Minute California. The brand was built by Gen-Z entrepreneur Lauren Lawson, who started the company while studying at Villanova. The tight edit of a debut collection includes jeans, a bomber jacket, a miniskirt and a T-shirt, all inspired by what Lawson found lacking in the current market, where price and quality often feel misaligned.
  
• Bala, known for its workout accessories made Instagrammable, is finally venturing into actual workout apparel. It debuted a collection including a bra, a biker short, flared leggings, a dress, a sweatshirt and sweat shorts.
  
• Mary Philips’ M.ph released shade extensions of its very popular, celebrity-beloved Lip Ciggy lipsticks and Overliner lip liners. There are four new shades of each, in trend-forward hues like a sheer ’90s brown (Shoop, a Lip Ciggy hue) and a neutral brown (Dare Me, an Overliner).
  
• Dieux partnered with Gill Mechanical on a co-branded Tube Wringer, a tool designed to help loyal users squeeze every last drop from its Instant Angel and Skin Mercy moisturizers before recycling their aluminum tubes.

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