Highsnobiety Launches New Sports Vertical With Concept Store

Streetwear and luxury media publisher Highsnobiety is expanding its coverage to include a new separate section about the role of sports in culture.

Dubbed Highsnobiety Sports, the vertical entails not only special editorial content about the convergence of sports and fashion but also product collaborations and a pop-up store in Los Angeles, opening May 11.

This store will expand upon Highsnobiety’s global retail strategy. Earlier this year, it unveiled an airport retail concept store in Zurich, carrying an assortment of contemporary, luxury and sportswear brands from Salomon to Balenciaga.

Highsnobiety Sports is the latest in a series of projects that include the publication’s Paris Fashion Week coverage “Not in Paris,” as well as “Berlin, Berlin,” both of which also blend editorial storytelling with brand collaborations and in-person events.

These franchises are part of the company’s strategy to build its audience and drive sales by targeting consumers with niche products in specific markets, according to Highsnobiety founder and chief executive David Fischer.

“It’s the perfect intersection for us between content, commerce and community,” said Fischer.

As part of its sports division, Highsnobiety has co-designed clothing with a range of activewear and outdoor brands such as Merrell, Gramicci and Wilson.

Collection drops will be accompanied by sporting events, such as a hike co-hosted by brand Jack Wolfskin and a group run with fashion-forward running label Soar.

“We specifically targeted sports where previously there had been a lot of gatekeeping, like cycling, hiking and swimming — all sports that are now changing culturally, and we felt we could really put a spotlight on that,” Fischer said.

In recent years, traditionally inaccessible sports like tennis, golf and racing have gained mass appeal and become culturally diverse, opening up new business opportunities for fashion brands and companies like Highsnobiety.