by The NFL Draft kicked off Thursday night in Detroit with 13 prospects hitting the red carpet, proving they are a force to be reckoned with for their athleticism and style.
Athletes like Caleb Williams, Marvin Harrison Jr., Darius Robinson, Terrion Arnold and many others used the NFL Draft as a platform to showcase their personal style, wearing a series of bold and colorful looks that put a fresh spin on the outfit. classic man. .
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“In a way, these are the new gods of NBA style in the making,” Jim Moore, GQ’s creative director at large, said of the night’s look. “They’re starting a little bit earlier and they’re definitely more swaggy and more careful about how they look. They want to dress for the part. Before this draft, it was like: ‘I’m going to kind of tiptoe into a dark suit and then let’s see what happens,’ but now, I think they have brought their style A-game, just down to the bling and the sunglasses and cool haircuts and everything. That’s a real game hero.”
Williams, the top draft pick of the Chicago Bears, was one of many prospects who stood out for his unique style. The quarterback went with a custom Chrome Hearts suit designed with side zipper detailing and some cross motifs. Williams said he went with the navy blue color to represent the Chicago Bears team color.
The quarterback talked about his style on the NFL Draft red carpet, saying: “It’s me. You call it unique, I call it mine. And that’s kind of how I’m going to go about it. I paint my nails, I wear unique things, on and off the field, and we’ll be able to show that here today and in the future.”
“It’s become a red carpet,” Moore continued. “I feel like [in the past] the draft was not the red carpet. It’s more like, okay, who are these guys? Are they going to get what they set out to do? Or are their management teams aligned so they can get the team they want and the numbers they want? Of course, that’s all up to the teams, so what I saw, especially in this draft, was that the carpet felt like they were at the Oscars because they were signing the autographs and all that. As rookies, they were a little bit before kind of, ‘Aw shucks,’ and a little humble coming to the carpet. Now they see themselves as stars – as they should be.”
Arnold, traded to the Detroit Lions, was one football player who used his NFL Draft red carpet outfit to pay homage to his roots. The cornerback wore a custom salmon white and silver floral embroidered suit made by kit designer Tom Marchitelli.
Marchitelli explained that the custom suit was a family business, with Arnold and her stepmother working closely with the designer to decide on the color of the suit and the personal touches featured on the lining.
“Terrion loves to dress up,” Marchitelli said. “It has a very big, exciting personality and I had a lot of fun dressing it as I tend to make some of the most striking and expressive fabrics. It was perfect to wear one because I love to dress each man in a different way, which shows their personality. This was a great outfit.”
Marchitelli said that conversations with Arnold began with a focus on an aquamarine or teal color, however, after the football player saw the designer wearing one of his own pink and gray dinner jackets, Arnold and his stepmother wanted to start the design process. pick and go forward pale salmon color. Marchitelli and Arnold decided to add the silver embroidery to give the outfit another interesting and unique element.
“He’s here as a one-on-one person,” Marchitelli said. “I told him I’m not making that jacket, that suit for anyone else. When I used the word one-on-one, he said, ‘Well, I’m already one-on-one,’ so his goal is to be on that carpet, to be dressed best without even debate for second and third place. or a quarter. That’s always been my goal, and his goals matched that.”
The inside of Arnold’s outfit drew equal attention on the red carpet. The liner was stitched with a photo of Arnold as a young football player as well as his entire family. On the other side of the jacket, the acronym “LANK” was sewn on the inside. Marchitelli said it stands for “Let All Naysayers Know,” a saying from Arnold’s time playing for the Alabama Crimson Tide.
Other football players have also used their red carpet abilities to pay tribute to their youth. Marvin Harrison Jr., the number four draft pick selected by the Arizona Cardinals, gave a nod to his father, Hall of Famer Marvin Harrison, with a double-sided chain medal with one side inspired by “The Lion King,” featuring the father. -for the characters Mufasa and Simba, and then an image of him and his father on the other side.
Due to the increased attention to style in the NFL, the league expanded its red carpet coverage for this year’s draft to look at the looks of the players. According to the NFL, the league’s fashion coverage was excellent across social media this past football season. The average fashion post drove 43 percent more engagement and received 51 percent more videos year over year.
Last season, the “NFL Tunnel,” like the long-standing “NBA Tunnel,” was watched as much as the football games themselves, with athletes like Travis Kelce, Stefon Diggs and Jeremiah Owusu-Koramoah, among others. others, doing football matches regularly. understand the audience for his style.
If the 2024 NFL Draft and its standout fashion moments are any indication, this upcoming NFL season is sure to bring even more style moments.
“Now it’s universally accepted and it’s a style bar — walk through that [NFL] tunnel, making sure you’re pulling out all the style stops, but you have your own unique look that maybe everyone else doesn’t,” Moore said about the NFL Tunnel. “That’s why it got the athletes their own stylists years ago, so they could help them overcome what set them apart from the other men.These are highly competitive athletes who are now just as competitive in the tunnel and is on the fields.”
Launch Gallery: NFL Draft 2024 Red Carpet Arrivals: All Watch, Live Updates
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