Serena Williams will receive the Fashion Icon award at the high-profile CFDA awards in New York next month. As a sharp dresser with her own clothing line, an honour from the fashion industry makes sense. But this is also the first time an athlete has got this award. It’s a sign of the increasing closeness between sport and fashion – something set to increase in the run-up to the Paris Olympics next year, which will be sponsored by the world’s biggest fashion conglomerate, LVMH.
According to a report by the trend analyst Lefty, alliances between sports and fashion have generated $78.5m (£64.7m) in earned media value (EMV) – the metric that measures the earnings a brand can expect from mentions on social media – so far this year.
