Ronald Acuna Jr. topped off the Barbecue with a bejeweled chain of his likeness. Adele Roachman reclined on Kennery in a leafy gold ensemble. Despite a few flashy appearances, many of the suits were safe and serious on Tuesday’s Major League Baseball red carpet show.
The event came just hours before the All-Star Game, as baseball’s best players showed up at Seattle’s famous Pike Place Market with their spouses, kids and moms, and gave their best looks to the hundreds of adoring fans gathered.
What was really on display, however, was MLB’s quest for the superstar crown.
The fan-friendly event is a tribute to baseball’s iconic place in street style—from the game’s signature hats and jerseys to classic jerseys—as it is an indication that MLB is increasingly laying claim to fashion as a gateway to new audiences and reverence for pop culture.
“MLB gave me a designer for this game,” said Corbin Carroll, a 22-year-old Seattle native. The bullish breakout at the Arizona Diamondbacks. “The outfit is kind of cool. Sure, it’s not something I’d choose for myself, but I’m kind of excited to show it off.”
Like many Gen Xers — including those born in the late 1990s and early 2000s — Carroll has described his off-duty style as more casual than haute couture: “Athleisure, not too many slogans, plain, good fit. “
On the red carpet—which was actually a lilac hot pink—Carol stuck to neutrals, wearing a white blazer, black shirt, and tan pants, complete with Nikes, sunglasses, and a mullet.
But it’s no coincidence that MLB is tapping the young, mixed-race player as an ambassador of style for its All-Star Red Carpet Show.
The league has for years suffered from the same crowd problem. There is a perception that baseball is so steeped in American traditions that it may be a peppy game aimed at seniors—that is, white fans—who still manually keep track of scores in the stands.
Sometimes the realization comes true, but it’s never been accurate. “Look at the guys—they’ve always been here,” said Noah Garden, MLB’s chief revenue officer. “We always want to attract young fans. It is the foundation of any business.”
So MLB was trying He rejoices his image For years, I watched in amazement as the NBA’s cultural dominance grew alongside basketball stars being cemented as style kings among celebrity athletes, along with their sneakers, suits, and streetwear.
The NBA is the preferred brand of Generation Z across sports organizations, said Brandon Brown, a professor of sports management at New York University, in part because the game and its savvy players are so closely connected to urban hip-hop culture and self-centeredness. Acting – the things this generation identifies with.
Not since Ken Griffey Jr. was a Hall of Famer for the Seattle Mariners — with his signature and very old ’90s baseball cap — has there really been an MLB player seen as a multicultural star who could impress with just his clothes, Brown said.
“He’s been in a range of different mediums to speak to a wide range of audiences,” Brown said. “MLB may still be looking for its next superstar in modern culture.”
Today, baseball officials are keen to encourage their players to shine in the same way, too, knowing that tickets can be found for loyal fans off the field—perhaps at the pop-based red carpet show on social media.
“It’s a really important event. The players are really embracing it as well,” Garden said. “It’s to highlight our best players and bring them closer to the fans.”
Among the league’s most fashion-forward players: Mariners star Julio Rodriguez, 22, whose clothes on Tuesday’s red carpet were hand-made in Italy and paid tribute to in Seattle. The MLS Player of the Year winner works with a personal shopper.
“What do you think when you think of Seattle? You think a little bit about trees and lakes and all that stuff — beautiful summer. So, he’s going to go for it,” Rodriguez said.
The look, complete with a pair of exclusive Alexander McQueen sneakers, was designed by Ethan Wiseman, founder of Pantheon Limited Custom Clothiers. Sports fans have definitely seen Wiseman’s look before. He’s the man behind the uniform worn by Ezekiel Elliott in the 2016 NFL Draft.
MLB’s forays into the fashion world aren’t really about merchandising revenue, Garden said, because her high-end collaborations with the likes of Gucci don’t sell in terms of volume.
There are very limited quantities. “It allows us to reach a very specific part of the fanbase,” said Garden. “It’s a close association with non-traditional brands.”
Garden said such a coveted offer that some players even called the front office and requested a piece from MLB’s limited-edition Gucci collection.
Not to believe the inelegant rumors, there have actually been several brief pauses in baseball’s history with fashion.
There have been official collaborations with brands ranging from preppy Ralph Lauren to niche streetwear label Supreme. Baseball’s long-standing role as a fashion inspiration is credited in part to the league’s pioneering sale of replica jerseys. It was a socially conscious decision to celebrate jersey number 42 league-wide on Jackie Robinson Day.
And the strategic license to the world-famous New York Yankees logo, to borrow famous rapper Jay-Z’s words, can be said to have “made the Yankee hat more recognizable than the Yankee hat.” In fact, MLB’s fashion efforts are a major part of the International marketing planRecently, France has been attracted to fashion to break into the broader European market.
“What they’re exploiting is a kind of non-financial cultural capital. It’s about the fans. It’s about nostalgia,” said Irene Corrales Diaz, a curator at the Toledo Museum of Art who wrote a book about the baseball jersey and the influence of sports on fashion. Sport, even if it is not always expressed.”
However, MLB’s work may still be cut short because several All-Star players admitted they were a little less fashion-forward ahead of Tuesday’s show. Kyle Tucker of the Houston Astros and Los Angeles Dodger’s Clayton Kershaw were among the many ballplayers in the safer suits who said they weren’t very adept at fashion.
“It’s not my forte,” Kershaw said.
Carol from the Diamondbacks also flashed a coy smile describing his first time working with a fashion designer and first time doing any red carpet event.
“I could be more nervous about that than from the game,” Carroll said.