LONDON — The talent agency Moda Management Global is teaming up with Rept, a sports management agency to provide fashion partnerships for its athletes.
Rept’s roster includes English soccer players Grace Clinton, Lauren James, Keira Walsh and Alex Greenwood, as well as Norwegian soccer player Celin Bizet.
“We first met the team at Rept at a Lioness game at Wembley last year in a really relaxed, easy chat. It was apparent that the team at Rept truly cared about their girls, their passion and their drive to deliver which really resonated with our team at Moda. Everything has just clicked since then,” said Faye Browne, cofounder of Moda with Laura Clinton, in an interview.
Sports is a booming market right now in the U.K.
The London-based communications and marketing agency Good Culture has ventured into sports with Good Sport, while Amelia Penfold, founder of the fashion and lifestyle PR agency AP Communications, has entered the game with AP Talent.
Alice O’Connor
Courtesy of Moda
“The data tells us we’re partnering with Rept at just the right moment and the market is exploding with growth in viewership, commercial opportunities and fan engagement. The current statistics and projections surrounding the women’s game represent a collaboration that isn’t just timely, it is essential for capitalizing on the fashion opportunities within women’s football,” Clinton said.
Besides fashion brand partnerships, Moda will also be providing the athletes with services across editorial, personal styling and brand development, event appearances and collaborations.
“At Rept, we pride ourselves on providing the best service to our athletes. As the women’s game continues to evolve at pace, the crossover between football and fashion has probably never been more important,” said Sam Stapleton, founder and chief executive officer of the sports management agency.
Florence Huntington-Whiteley
Courtesy of Moda
Moda is in expansion mode.
The talent agency has appointed Alice O’Connor, previously a publicist at Burberry and Alexander McQueen, head of communications and PR.
Earlier this year, the agency named Florence Huntington-Whiteley, the younger sister of British supermodel Rosie Huntington-Whiteley, as client connector.
Huntington-Whiteley previously worked at Nike across its talent management and strategic global brand partnerships.
“Florence brings established relationships with sports marketing teams at major brands who are now looking beyond traditional male sports partnerships. Her network includes brand managers and designers who specifically understand how to market athletic authenticity to fashion consumers and she knows how to position athletes as lifestyle influencers without compromising their sporting credentials,” Browne said.
Clinton added that “Alice understands how heritage luxury brands like Burberry think about brand partnerships and talent selection and has knowledge of global campaign strategies and how to position talent for international luxury markets.”