How sportswear brands can leverage athletes, trainers and creators to drive growth

With the sportswear market experiencing a 24% increase in Media Impact Value (MIV) last year, technology company Launchmetrics highlights a critical shift: in today’s booming industry, product alone no longer defines success.

In a recent report - How Sportswear Brands Connect With Communities: Leveraging Athletes, Trainers & Creators to Fuel Growth - the firm reveals that the brands leading the conversation are those building strong communities through shared values, meaningful experiences, and strategic partnerships with the trusted "voices" that resonate most with their audiences.

The data found that influencers and celebrities (including athletes) are the fastest-growing voices in the sportswear industry, with MIV increasing 40% and 45% year-on-year, respectively.

Collectively, they generated 2.5x more MIV growth than any other voice category - including media, owned media, and partners - highlighting their growing influence in shaping brand perception and strengthening community connections.

As part of this, lifestyle brands lead in these collaborations, generating 4x more MIV from celebrities and 2x more from influencers than all other sportswear segments combined.

Outdoor brands are also gaining traction, seeing a 74% year-on-year MIV increase from celebrity and athlete partnerships.

Meanwhile, athleisure stands out as the fastest-growing segment overall, with a 49% Media Impact Value growth, primarily fuelled by influencers who account for half of the segment’s total impact.

When it comes to influencer types, Launchmetrics notes that sport-specific brands are seeing the greatest impact from creators with large followings, who drove a 102% increase in MIV.

At the same time, micro and mid-tier creators also play a "crucial" role in building trust and driving engagement within niche communities. These creators now produce nearly 3x more content in the sportswear category than all other influencer tiers combined.

Outdoor and sport-specific brands tend to rely on these smaller-tier voices for their authenticity and peer-driven recommendations, while lifestyle and athleisure brands typically prioritise top-tier influencers to maximise reach and capture mainstream visibility.

The report also highlights six trending ambassador archetypes shaping today’s sportswear landscape, along with the types of content each excels at creating - from the style-driven athlete and outdoor adventurer to the  fitness influencer and all-star contributor.

Alison Bringé, CMO at Launchmetrics, tells TheIndustry.fashion: In a saturated sportswear market, grassroots community engagement is key for brands that want to stay ahead of the curve.

"Ambassadors play a major role in this by driving over half of the values associated with brand campaigns and actively shaping their narratives. By understanding the unique strengths of each ambassador and the strategies that resonate most, brands can amplify the right voice on the right platform to reach the right audience."

Launchmetrics provides tools to support profitability, accountability, and operational efficiency, helping brands make faster, data-informed decisions. Its Brand Performance Cloud combines features such as sample management, event organisation, PR tracking, and analytics across brand performance and voice impact, "offering a centralised platform to build a successful marketing strategy".

Access the full Launchmetrics report for additional insights here.