Creative studio Versus is teaming up with creative director Ashley Champ to launch TUNL, The Hollywood Reporter has exclusively learned.
TUNL is an interdisciplinary media and e-commerce platform, “where sports, fashion and culture converge,” according to a release. Named after athletes’ “tunnel fits,” the platform will work to centralize sports and fashion “content, commerce and community” through collaborations with designers and organizations, along with an online marketplace. The company says it will bridge the gap between high fashion and streetwear, making fashion more accessible to everyday consumers.
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To celebrate the launch, the platform will host the inaugural TUNL Gala, an event meant to serve as the convergence of professional athletes, designers and trendsetters. The event, being thrown in partnership with Spotify, is set to take place during the upcoming New York Fashion Week. It will feature a “tunnel walk,” exclusive lounge spaces for every sport and a marketplace for TUNL’s merch collaborations.
Champ says while athletes were getting the chance to enter the fashion space through events like the Met Gala, TUNL events are relatable or something that everyday consumers could shop. The creative director stresses how many young people are interested in streetwear.
“There needs to be an annual moment where, not only athletes can showcase their outfits, but we can elevate the designer as well,” Champ tells The Hollywood Reporter. “Now there’s this combination happening where you’re getting all of it together and fans can actually participate and shop the pieces that these athletes are wearing and wear the things that these designers are making because [streetwear is] already a relatable space for the everyday community.”
Lenny Santiago, senior vp Roc Nation, is a strategic advisor and partner of TUNL. He will also host the TUNL Gala.
“TUNL is catering to a whitespace in the market that has long gone untapped, especially as we’ve seen how athletes have impacted the luxury fashion sector in the digital era,” Santiago said in a release.
“Launching the brand during New York Fashion Week positions us right at the heart of where fashion meets culture. The timing is perfect because the dialogue around the intersection of sports and fashion has never been more vibrant with the recent Olympic games and Vogue World,” he continued. We’re seeing how athletes are no longer just participants in fashion — they’re leaders in it. TUNL is stepping in to give that movement the recognition and platform it deserves. ”
The platform and TUNL Gala will target a wide range of sports. “We saw it with the Olympics, which I’m so excited it happened this year, all sports are so important,” Champs explains to THR, noting that it’s a global conversation. “Taking it global and making sure that we’re focusing on all sports was super important,” she later adds.
Les Green, the former CEO of SLAM! and LeagueFits is onboard as a strategic advisor for the newly founded platform. Brittany Hampton, a fashion consultant and stylist for athletes, is TUNL’s creative strategy director. Desyree Nicole, owner of Todd Patrick, is TUNL’s design director.
Versus, the creative studio founded by former pro skateboarder Justin Barnes, is TUNL’s production and founding partner, with Rob Meyers serving as TUNL’s managing director, and Mark Grande serving in a dual role as executive producer for both Versus and TUNL.
In addition to Spotify, TUNL Gala partners include D’USSÉ, Unrivaled and Signet Jewelers + Zales, who will display their Zales x Prince capsule collection and official diamond-studded racket made in honor of the US Open. The racket features over 205 total carats of natural diamonds valued at $2.5 million. THR is the event’s official media partner.
TUNL will also be making a donation to the Have a Sol Foundation, which provides new sneakers and clothes to the homeless and youth in low-income areas nationwide. Through the donation, the brand says it is “committed to supporting local communities and ensuring everyone can feel a part of the TUNL experience regardless of their income,” according to a release.
The TUNL platform will launch with exclusive collections with Mifland, PINKFlamingoUSA x PRIX and signature TUNL merch in the coming months, marking the company’s “commitment to bridging the gap between high fashion and streetwear,” according to a release.
The TUNL Gala will take place at New York’s Spring Studios and feature a performance from a Grammy Award-winning producer.
