Super Bowl Fashion Show, with GQ: A Moment for Sports and Fashion
And How Bode Became a Sports Fashion Icon.
In professional sports, where margins for error are razor-thin, athletes are bound by an unrelenting uniformity. Jerseys, team colours, and league dress codes dictate what they wear on the field. But step beyond the boundaries of the game, and a different kind of competition begins—one where style, individuality, and self-expression have taken centre stage. And in this arena, one name has emerged as a favourite among the sports’ elite: Bode.
GQ has partnered with fashion brand Bode for the GQ Bowl that airs 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT tonight. A celebration of fashion and sport just in time for the Super Bowl.
But first, who is Bode?
What started as an intimate, nostalgia-laden fashion project by designer Emily Adams Bode Aujla has quietly become one of the most unexpected power players in the world of athlete-driven style. From NBA tunnel walks to Super Bowl sidelines, Bode’s heirloom-inspired designs—reclaimed textiles, vintage embroidery, and hand-crafted storytelling—have found a new home in professional sports.
But how did a brand rooted in historical Americana become a staple in a culture so often associated with futuristic athleticwear and high-performance gear?
The Tunnel Runway: How Sports Became Fashion’s Newest Catwalk
I’ve written about this a number of times in recent years but for those unfamiliar; The concept of the ‘tunnel fit’—where athletes turn the pregame walk into a moment of sartorial self-expression—has evolved into a modern-day phenomenon.
In many ways, it mirrors the red carpet, but instead of Hollywood’s glitz, it’s an organic showcase of personal taste, pushing style narratives that are often as compelling as the games themselves.
While luxury streetwear brands like Fear of God and Amiri have long dominated this space, Bode has entered the mix with an entirely different ethos: fashion as storytelling.
The NBA’s Russell Westbrook, long regarded as one of basketball’s most fearless dressers, was an early adopter, donning a custom Bode outfit at the 2023 Met Gala. While Devin Booker, Sha’Carri Richardson, and Megan Rapinoe have all adopted the brand for big occasions and media editorials.
And then came Roquan Smith, the Baltimore Ravens linebacker who became the unexpected face of Bode’s foray into sports footwear, debuting the Astro Grabbers—Bode’s first sneaker, created in collaboration with Nike—before a game in early 2024.
This wasn’t just a brand infiltrating sports; it was athletes, often seen as cultural gatekeepers, giving their stamp of approval to a label rewriting the playbook on what sports fashion could be.
The brand’s aesthetic, rooted in antique textiles, vintage quilting, and intricate embroidery, offers an almost sentimental quality—an intentional departure from the tech-driven, hyper-modern designs dominating mainstream athletic fashion.
What makes Bode’s rise even more intriguing is how seamlessly it fits into athletes using fashion as an extension of their personal brand. Today’s athletes are more than just competitors; they are influencers, entrepreneurs, and tastemakers.
Bode’s designs resonate because they offer an alternative to the industry’s typical luxury-meets-athleisure formula. Where other brands chase the future, Bode is about looking back—mining the past for materials, narratives, and craftsmanship that feel rich with history yet fresh in execution.
The GQ Bowl: A Defining Moment for Sports and Fashion
Bode’s relationship with the sports world will take centre stage at the inaugural GQ Bowl fashion show on February 7, a spectacle that will bring together elite athletes, musicians, and fashion insiders in New Orleans. The event, a collaboration between GQ and Bode, is more than just a showcase—it’s a cultural statement.
Bode’s latest collection, under the Bode Rec. sublabel, draws inspiration from American football’s rich traditions, but not in the way most sports brands might approach it.
Instead of replicating classic jerseys or athletic silhouettes, the collection channels the nostalgia of the game: high school homecoming parades, vintage varsity jackets, and the communal energy that defines sports beyond the field. Bode Aujla has described it as a love letter to football culture, infused with the celebratory spirit of New Orleans.
As the GQ Bowl unfolds, it will serve as yet another reminder of how the intersection of sports and fashion continues to evolve. In an era where athlete style is dissected with the same intensity as their on-field performances, the rise of brands like Bode signals a broader shift. No longer confined to sneakers and sportswear collabs, the world’s most influential athletes are embracing styles that are deeply personal, rooted in craftsmanship, and, in Bode’s case, rich with historical resonance.
The rapid embrace of Bode by athletes signals something bigger than just another fashion trend. It represents a desire for something that feels distinctive, individual, and lived-in. It also underscores a growing appetite for narrative-driven fashion—clothing that carries a story rather than simply displaying a logo. In 2023, I wrote about Russel Westbrook’s own label ‘Honor the Gift’ which follows this direction.
Sports and fashion have long been intertwined, but today’s collaborations go beyond surface-level aesthetics. Athletes are no longer just wearing brands; they are co-signing ideas, championing values, and reshaping industry norms.
In a world where image is currency, the embrace of Bode is proof that authenticity—however unpolished, handcrafted, or unconventional—resonates in a way that high-tech fabrics and performance gear never could.
In the years to come, we might look back at Bode’s sportswear takeover as a defining moment in fashion’s ongoing shift. A moment where slow fashion met fast-moving athletes, where tunnel fits became cultural artefacts, and where the past, somehow, became the future of sports style.
The official GQ Bowl livestream can be found on GQ.com and GQ’s YouTube channel starting tomorrow at 7 p.m. ET/6 p.m. CT.
Thanks for reading, David Skilling.
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