Chubbies signs branded license deal with Team USA, Olympic Heritage

Dive Brief:

• Casual apparel brand Chubbies has signed a multi-year branded licensing agreement with Team USA and Olympic Heritage, according to a release sent to Fashion Dive.
• The first collection to emerge from the deal dropped Friday and features men’s performance polos, T-shirts, tank tops and swim trunks “inspired by the Paris 2024 Olympians,” per the release. Prices range from $39.50 to $89.50, and the line will be available exclusively through Chubbies’ e-commerce website.
• Although the upcoming capsules are geared toward men, a spokesperson for the brand told Fashion Dive in an email that there are “plans to expand the Team USA x Chubbies series into youth and kids styles for future launches.”

Dive Insight:

Licensed Olympic partnerships can spell big money for brands. Organizers of the 2020 Tokyo Olympics “estimated that brands would earn $100 million through sales of licensed products” around the games, according to Retail Brew. In addition to Chubbies, fashion brands affiliated with Team USA for this summer’s Paris games include official partners Nike and Polo Ralph Lauren, as well as licensees Oakley, Kith and Skims.

This Olympic license could also be a path forward for parent company Solo Brands, which in March announced it had initiated a “full strategic review” following a 16.2% sales decline in Q4. CEO Chris Metz, who joined the company in January, told analysts that the company planned to “double down on our core businesses, Solo Stove and Chubbies” as well as “restructure our marketing partnerships.”

Solo Brands acquired Chubbies in September 2021 and went public the following month. In addition to Chubbies, Solo owns a namesake portable stove brand, along with Oru Kayak and Isle Paddle Boards, both of which were acquired alongside Chubbies.

“Each part of these Olympic Heritage and Team USA capsules is a heartfelt homage to the incredible achievements of our Olympians and the enduring spirit of the Olympic Games,” Rainer Castillo, co-founder and president of Chubbies, said in the release. “We can’t wait for our fans to don these unique pieces and join us in celebrating our athletic legacy.”

A second heritage-inspired capsule will be released on July 22, and will feature “vintage-inspired pieces celebrating the 1984 LA Summer Olympics.” That capsule will offer button-up shirts, T-shirts and swim trunks, per the company. On Aug. 11, a third capsule “embodying the excitement of the upcoming LA 2028 Olympics” drops, and will include tank tops and swim trunks.

“Vintage sport is something that our team references for inspiration frequently,” Kevin Dopp, senior director of design at Chubbies, told Fashion Dive in an email. “The LA 84 games in particular feel special to us because of the distinctly Chubbies color palette used that year. Also, who couldn’t love that year’s mascot, Sam the Eagle? Our team dug through photos and videos of the Olympics’ past and patriotic styles from Chubbies’ history to create this collection. These collections embody the fun and optimism the games bring every four years.”

Olympic athletes Steele Johnson and Greg Louganis will star in accompanying ad campaigns for this summer’s capsules.

Upcoming collections will support the 2026 Winter Olympics in Milan and the 2028 Summer Olympics in Los Angeles, per the company.