サッカーW杯：絶対に負けられないファッションブランドの闘い

先日の「絶対に負けられないサッカー・ワールドカップの舞台裏：スポーツブランドのもう一つの闘い」では、サッカーW杯を前にいち早く過熱する世界のスポーツブランド同士の闘いについて書いたが、もちろんW杯はそれだけではない。もっと大きな闘いがある、それがファッションブランド同士の争いだ。

4年に一度のこの世界最大のスポーツの祭典は、ファッションブランドにとっても次世代のスターを探す格好の場所となっている。New York Times が “Who Will Be the Next David Beckham?” という記事で書いているように、過去のワールドカップでも数多くの選手にグラウンド外でのスポットライトが当たった。

In previous World Cups, Armani has cast players like Kaká of Brazil and Andriy Shevchenko of Ukraine, while Dolce & Gabbana tapped Lionel Messi of Argentina. Dolce & Gabbana is dressing the Italian national team — it has designed suits and sweaters to be worn by the players before and after games — and had tapped five members of that team for sultry underwear ads in the 2006 and 2010 World Cups. Freddie Ljungberg, a former Swedish player, has a panther tattoo stamped just so between his abs and his nether region that was tailor-made for a series of ads he shot for Calvin Klein underwear.

そして、こうした近年のトレンドを作ったのが、ベッカムであり中田英寿だった。

“These soccer players, they’re pretty happening,” the men’s designer Todd Snyder said. “David Beckham really set the bar. He paved the way for all of this.”

And then there is the Japanese player Hidetoshi Nakata.（中略）“Nakata’s one of those footballers that’s crossed over from football to fashion,” Mr. Carrigan said. “He’s good friends with a lot of designers.” And the fashion world wants to know: Where are the next Beckhams or Nakatas or Freddies?

photo credit: adriagarcia via photopin cc

そんなNew York Times が今年のW杯での最大の注目として挙げるのが、ブラジルのネイマール、オスカル、そして本田圭佑だ。その本田に対する注目理由については次のように書いている。

“I just got back from Japan yesterday,” Mr. Geller said. “People are just crazy for him over there. You see him in commercials for beer and soft drinks. He’s become the face of the Japanese national team. He looks very cool.” And he’s got something else: He’s got the hair. (“A cool hairstyle,” Mr. Geller put it.)

“Karl Lagerfeld always like to hire Japanese models who dye their hair blond,” Mr. Deeny said. “Well, Honda dyes his hair blond, and he looks very good in it.” And just as with Oscar (who plays for Chelsea in the English Premier League), he has that all-important X factor that football-minded designers and editors talked about over and over again: He plays in Europe, and in a fashion capital — Milan. “That’s sort of reflective in his style,” Mr. Geller said. “It’s a mix of very fine Italian tailoring, and he puts a Japanese twist on things, so it’s a little more playful than the typical Italian style.”

選手や監督にとってはもちろんのこと、世界のスポーツブランドそしてファッションブランドにとっても、負けられない戦いがついに明後日開幕する。