Fanatics is expanding its work with fashion designer Todd Snyder to include NHL apparel, the latest deal in a strategy that the company says is bringing new buyers to its empire of licensed sports apparel.
Under these “hype drops,” Fanatics partners with outside companies—luxury designers, streetwear brands, celebrities and others—to pair their products with official sports logos and help sell them in official team stores. The company said 20% of people who have bought items from these hype drops in the past year have been first-time Fanatics purchasers.
That’s an encouraging metric for a company that is trying to position itself as the one-stop-shop for anything a sports fan might want to buy. CEO Michael Rubin has touted Fanatics’ database of 100-plus million sports fans as one of its most valuable assets—a base on which to layer new products and experiences.
The partnership with Todd Snyder and the NHL builds on a similar series of products launched with the designer and the NFL that debuted in December and include $1,500 cashmere varsity jackets. The NHL product will cover roughly a dozen teams, with items that include hoodies and rugby shirts.
A rep for Fanatics declined to comment on how the revenue will be split between the NHL, Todd Snyder and Fanatics. The items will be sold on Fanatics, a number of official team sites run by Fanatics and on Todd Snyder’s own site.
Other recent Fanatics hype drops include NFL lines with country singer Darius Rucker and a clothing brand launched by sportscaster Erin Andrews. A college partnership with Travis Scott’s Cactus Jack brand included on-campus merch drops at LSU, Texas and USC featuring the rapper and Rubin. There was also a recent Fanatics x NHL x Lululemon collection, which was promoted by hockey stars and their significant others.
The strategy is a return to the company’s roots, in a sense. Fanatics grew rapidly in its early days by prioritizing products made by other companies. While that’s still a large part of its business, Fanatics Commerce has more recently emphasized the growth of its own apparel brand, designs and manufacturing. That included the acquisition of exclusive licenses from the major pro leagues, none more prominent than the company’s latest jersey deal with the NHL, the first time the Fanatics flag logo has appeared on the uniforms players wear during games. Now, collaborations with groups like Cactus Jack, Todd Snyder and Lululemon are expanding the selection once again via other people’s products.
These deals bring new audiences and a different type of credibility to Fanatics, which is the largest online seller of licensed sports merchandise. As the company has grown in size, so too has a group of very vocal detractors, many of whom have criticized the quality and design of Fanatics-branded apparel. Hype drops have widened the company’s assortment of products, particularly into areas like streetwear, fashion and luxury.
