Champs Sports x Eastbay Tackles Performance and Lifestyle With Brand Unification

Athletic apparel outfits Champs Sports and Eastbay are doing their best Gotenks from Dragonball Z impression by fusing together as one entity. Champs Sports x Eastbay, as the combo is now known, will operate under the Foot Locker umbrella as part of the retailer's larger goal of appealing to Gen Z athletes. Guy Harkless is the point man on that marketing effort. He's been svp/general manager of Champs Sports and Eastbay for a year and a half now. By bringing the brands together, the new entity aims to reach younger consumers in two different ways: through performance gear from Eastbay and lifestyle apparel through Champs Sports. "This is a real journey that we think is unique," Harkless told Adweek. "It will give us an opportunity to meet that high school athlete, which is the consumer that we serve, in a way that they're not being served today. We can do both the on-court and off-court journey in a much more seamless way than they've had a chance to experience before." As a part of the announcement, Champs Sports x Eastbay is unveiling a new joint logo as well as updates to their individual brand logos. A new brand campaign is likely to be rolled out next month as the brands' voices merge. Adweek’s 2021 Most Powerful Women in Sports: 34 Leaders Moving Athletics Forward for Everyone Reaching the Gen Z consumer The brand union has been in the works for some time. Champs Sports and Eastbay have collaborated before, including the #NeverNotAnAthlete campaign last year and a partnership with NFL quarterback Jalen Hurts. "You have businesses that sell performance, and you have businesses that sell lifestyle," Harkless said. "There aren't businesses that fully brought them together in a way that we're going to bring together in terms of Champs and Eastbay serving both sides of the house, so to speak. We know that high school athletes are as much interested in how they perform on the field or on the court, as well as how they perform in their expression of themselves." This year, Foot Locker opened a Champs Sports Community Store in suburban Chicago's Oakbrook Center. The 21,000-square-foot shop is the first and—at the moment—the only brick-and-mortar location of the Wisconsin-headquartered Eastbay brand. The location is essentially a shop-in-shop setup where a 1,200-square-foot Eastbay shop is located within the Champs store. Harkless said the Oakbrook location has done well so far and could lead to more combo stores in the future. "We've learned a lot in the year that we've been working together," he said. "We certainly see further opportunity for us to do more Champs Sports x Eastbay physical expressions, in addition to the things that we would do in terms of the digital ecosystem to build something that's really omnichannel across the platform." A partnership that was 'Uninterrupted' Champs Sports x Eastbay' s unification kicks off with a new alliance involving media, experiences and consumer product brand Uninterrupted. The partners are launching an exclusive More Than an Athlete apparel line featuring a combination of performance and lifestyle fashions. Uninterrupted is a part of The SpringHill Company, which is owned by NBA star LeBron James and his business partner Maverick Carter. The first of three drops will feature product centered on basketball and include hoodies, tees, joggers and compression pieces, as well as accessories such as socks, beanies and arm sleeves. Donald De La Haye and Sedona Prince debut Champs Sports x Eastbay and Uninterrupted apparel limited collaboration. "This partnership allows us to once again lean into a space where content truly meets commerce," SpringHill COO Devin Johnson told Adweek. "Uninterrupted’s mission has always been to empower athletes, and this partnership allows us the opportunity to reach younger athletes through both content and commerce levers. "We also want to communicate to all athletes, especially younger ones, that they have the ability to see growth in their becoming, both on and off the court or field." The collection will launch Dec. 1 on Eastbay.com and ChampsSports.com, as well as select Champs Sports locations. Future releases to celebrate baseball and football slated are planned for next year. Both Champs Sports x Eastbay and Uninterrupted will also co-produce a content series, titled "More Than an Athlete Hotline: Varsity Edition," featuring mentors sharing their experiences with high school athletes. The show will be hosted by YouTuber and former college football kicker Donald De La Haye, aka Deestroying, and Oregon women’s basketball superstar Sedona Prince. Simone Biles Champions Her Humanity—and the Sports World Is Better for It