SportStyle: Goat and Paris Saint Germain Debut First Campaign
Sneaker and apparel platform Goat and football club Paris Saint Germain on Thursday are launching an ode to La Ville Lumière and its many faces with their first campaign, called “People of Paris.”
The campaign, which was shot by photographer Thibaut Grevet and styled by Georgia Pendlebury, features Paris Saint Germain players and legends, longtime fans, kids and influential figures who represent the club and its community.
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“This first Goat x Paris Saint Germain campaign, featuring players and fans, marks the arrival of Goat into the Paris Saint Germain family,” said Marc Armstrong, chief partnerships officer of PSG. “Goat is an iconic next-generation brand and we are proud to show our fusion of style on the streets of Paris and all over the world. Together we celebrate the uniqueness of all those who represent Paris and Paris Saint Germain.”
In April, Goat and PSG entered a global partnership making the platform the official sleeve partner for the football club, and the partnership has since been expanded. Goat this month became one of Paris Saint Germain’s principal partners and launched a billboard advertisement and activation in Japan for the team’s friendly game on July 25 versus Gamba Osaka.
In addition, Goat built a branded experience for PSG on its website where fans can buy vintage or present-day Paris Saint Germain merchandise, collaborations between the team and brand 3.Paradis, as well as other product in the future. One of the recent projects, a collaboration with streetwear designer Verdy, launched on July 22 exclusively in Tokyo and on Goat.
“The experience that we’re creating is more than a commerce experience,” explained Goat chief brand officer Sen Sugano. “It’s really about storytelling, so you’ll see a series of different stories over the course of the season that dive deeper into PSG and help our community contextualize PSG more.”
Sugano said brand growth in Japan and outside of North America has been organic, and the tie-up with PSG is “synergistic” and beneficial for both parties. While PSG hopes to gain more market share in North America, Goat hopes to achieve the same but in Europe and Asia, where they hope to expand in the coming years.
Some of the most popular names in soccer play for Paris Saint Germain including Lionel Messi, Neymar and Kylian Mbappé who between them have just over 600 million Instagram followers. ESPN reported that Messi’s debut game for the club in 2021 averaged over 2 million viewers in Spain alone, marking it as the most-watched French soccer game in the country.
Separately, Goat in June partnered with Kaleidoscope for the return of Kaleidoscope Manifesto, an event for music, installations, workshops and talks. The Paris event had taken a three-year hiatus.
“What we’re most excited about is the international opportunity, because up until now it has been predominantly organic growth,” Sugano said. “It’s why we felt we could work together. There was just this connection and we’d be able to help each other out, work on international and apparel and double down on our growth areas. From a business perspective, Goat is the largest platform for sneakers and accessories in North America and we have room to grow in apparel and international and it’s why we saw an opportunity there. On the Paris Saint Germain side, they’re not as strong in North America, but have the Middle East and Asia. We felt we could bridge our communities together.”
To Sugano, PSG is more than just a sports club. In addition to collaborating with 3.Paradis and Verdy, the club has an ongoing partnership with Jordan Brand. The partnership also allows Goat to step into the soccer world that has garnered interest from several luxury and contemporary fashion labels including Burberry, Comme des Garçons, Miu Miu, Balenciaga and Martine Rose.
“Soccer has had a big impact on fashion,” Sugano said. “Looking at sports, we talk about the NBA and of course there’s a natural tie to fashion there as well, but soccer is on an entirely different level. You have iconic clubs like PSG, incredible players and fanbases and it made sense for us. We’re both looking to build that lifestyle brand and support one another in that effort.”
Goat has been in a growth mode and in 2020, the platform achieved a valuation of $1.8 billion, a figure it doubled it in early 2021 to $3.7 billion after closing its Series F funding round. The company also participated in Grailed’s $60 million Series B funding round in 2021.
Sugano said “2021 was a remarkable year” and that 2022 “is still growing and trending upwards” in terms of prices and volume. “Just like everyone, we’re watching and paying attention to the larger macro environment,” he said. “Prices fluctuate, but volume is up, too, so the business is still growing in those areas.”
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