The GQ Bowl Recap
A runway event to kick off Super Bowl LIX weekend in New Orleans
Before we get started, huge congrats to the Eagles on their Super Bowl win. My Niners weren’t close to making it this year, but love that Jalen, Saquon, and the rest of their team got their shine.
It’s no secret that the convergence of sports and fashion has been growing stronger by the day. We're well past the times when the only conversation around the combination of the two was what an athlete’s shoe looks like (but I do remember how hype I was in middle school talking about Allen Iverson’s sneakers). Lewis Hamilton has been a brand ambassador for Tommy Hilfiger and joined Dior Men last year. Victor Wembanyama signed with Louis Vuitton roughly a year ago and was the center of attention during their fashion show weeks ago (which also aligned with the timing of the Spurs/Pacers two game series in Paris.) Russell Westbrook and Russell Wilson have their own clothing brands - Honor the Gift and Good Man Brand, respectively. And this is only the tip of the iceberg. So it should come as no surprise that GQ hosted their the first ever GQ Bowl last Friday to kick off Super Bowl weekend. A runway event sponsored by Bode to celebrate the championship weekend that brought plenty of stars to watch and participate.
Emily Adams Bode Aujla, the founder of Bode, launched a secondary line last year called Bode Rec in partnership with Nike. This was a celebration of “the DNA of American Sportswear,” and what better company to partner with than the Beaverton-based powerhouse. With the massive success that collaboration brought, it was time for Emily and the Bode team to create something else on their own. She worked with GQ to debut the next iteration of the line during one of the biggest sports weekends of the year.
The show was hosted by former NFL star Victor Cruz and NFL Live analyst Mina Kimes at the Hotel Peter and Paul, a historic city landmark that was once only a church and schoolhouse. The two had great chemistry to say they had never worked together before. It started off with a perfectly curated set of “green carpet” interviews from big names in fashion and culture, top social media influencers, and sports and tv/film superstars. We heard from Mario Carbone (the well-known NYC-based restauranteur) who mentioned his pop-up experience with New Orleans cooking legend Emril Lagasse; CeeDee Lamb, the Dallas Cowboys wide receiver who talked about his excitement in getting to walk in the runway later that evening; Wisdom Kaye - one of TikTok’s largest fashion influencers; Kordell Beckham, OBJ’s younger brother and reality tv star; former LSU quarterback and leader of the Cincinnati Bengals Joe Burrow; and so many more.
Once the interviews wrapped up and we were taken inside, the runway started with Leon Bridges playing his hit song “River.” I was honestly blown away by all of the looks. The color palate and style was very reminiscent of the 70s with a modern twist. Ja’Marr Chase, Alvin Kamara, and CeeDee Lamb were among the current NFL players who participated. As Leon continued to play songs from his discography and all the models walked with their comfortable outfits, there was a wonderful laissez-faire vibe that matched perfectly with the venue and the city of New Orleans itself. It felt much more relaxed than some of the runway shows as of late, and one that I thoroughly enjoyed.
Overall I think this was a huge hit on GQ’s part. The publication’s editorial director, Will Welch, mentioned they’ve thrown a Super Bowl party in the host city for the last several years and are always looking to capitalize on unique opportunities. He has, as so many of us have as well, seen plenty of athletes attend various fashion weeks and dive deeper into their creative side, so he took this chance to invert that trend. I would love to see something similar during the NBA Finals or All-Star Weekend given so many basketball players have leaned heavily into the fashion world as well. I’m predicting that this growing blend of two amazing industries will only continue to thrive for the world to enjoy. If you want to stay in the know specifically about sports and fashion, I’d highly recommend checking out what
and are writing on their respective Substacks. I guarantee you won’t be disappointed.
Love the recap! And thanks for the kind words 🙏🏾