Superdry is making its biggest play yet into Australian sport, announcing an official partnership with NRL heavyweights Melbourne Storm. The globally recognised fashion brand will become the club’s official lifestyle apparel partner from July 3rd, blending utility fashion with footy culture in a collaboration that aims to bring fans closer to the game, and the brand.’
While this marks Superdry’s first direct partnership with Storm, the foundations have been long in the making. The club has enjoyed a four-year relationship with Brand Collective, the parent company of Superdry, across other portfolio brands.
As Superdry steps into the spotlight, launching a new campaign that fuses performance, personality and style, B&T sat down with Alastair Davies, GM of licensed brands at Superdry, to unpack bringing the brand to life through the game.
“Superdry has always been very aligned to sport, and sports teams,” he told B&T. “Our product is catered for colder weather and part of the Australian culture is to enjoy spectating sports and immersing ourselves in the healthy lifestyle associated with sport. In previous seasons we have worked with the AFL and the A League. When an opportunity presented itself to partner with an NRL club and specifically the Storm (whilst still showing love to other leagues) we jumped at the opportunity”.
The apparel collection itself is designed to transition effortlessly from the stands to the streets, featuring quilted bombers, coach jackets and wear-anywhere sweats in rugged khaki, washed pink and soft sage.
“Tonal layering is on trend; we have those bases covered and enjoy that our customers want to look good. From a utility point of view our customers can be confident in their purchase decisions and we’ll keep you warm, dry, and looking sharp,” Davies said.
The campaign features Storm players Mose Leo, Stanley Huen, and Alec MacDonald, who were selected for their ability to represent the brand’s dual focus on individuality and high performance.
“As a lifestyle brand, we love that our customers can interpret the product differently. We encourage that. We also have very technical outerwear when partnered with more casual / lifestyle products, allowing both form and function to be expressed. Using Mose, Stanley and Alec to help us articulate that message only amplifies both our positioning and the possibilities around the product,” said Davies.
“Mose, Stanley and Leo are brand advocates and enjoy expressing their individuality with the product. As they are also elite athletes align perfecting to some of the technical aspects of our product offering. As they enjoy expressing themselves allows us to show the market the endless opportunities of superdry product and styling”.
Superdry’s involvement extends beyond the kit. The partnership introduces Superdry Superseats at every home game, premium viewing experiences at AAMI Park for fans and special guests.
“The Superdry Superseats allow us to engage with customers and partners on a more meaningful level. Superdry is about connecting with people on more than a product, instore level. Spending time watching sport aligns perfecting to our brand positioning, messaging, and culture,” Davies explained.
Melbourne Storm’s chief commercial officer, Daniel Cullinan, welcomed the partnership: “Their iconic style and commitment to quality make them a perfect fit for our Club and our fans. We’re excited to see this partnership bring fresh energy and style to the Storm family, both on and off the field.”
For Superdry, this isn’t just a one-off partnership but a strategic move that signals its broader ambition in Australia’s growing sport-style crossover space.
“Superdry is a lifestyle brand. We will remain so and make no apologies for that. But aligning our brand to sport is something we have always done and makes sense for us. People play sport, spectate sport, and wear our product to help them feel good, look good and keep them warm. We feel our brand occupies this intersection very well and partnering with the Melbourne Storm only amplifies that,” Davies told B&T.
With plans to continue exploring similar partnerships across sporting codes, Davies sees cultural influence as key to growth.
“Customers enjoy personal connections to sports teams, sports stars, brands, and everything else. Performance is important to both sport and business outcomes, but creating an emotional connection with our customers allows us to drive relevance, awareness and brand to a degree pure performance never will. Both are important but to complement one another. Not at eithers expense,” he said.
When asked what this looks like, brand affinity, community engagement, merchandise sales – for example. Davies replied “all of the above”.
“Clearly, we need our business and brand’s performance to justify this partnership. But this partnership helps drive our business forward. To achieve that we need to drive connection and relevance with our consumer base. Again, all are important, but we cannot achieve one without another”.
If one thing’s for certain: in a city where the weather can throw four seasons at you in a single game, Superdry and Melbourne Storm make the perfect match!
