42|54: from athletics track to fashion

Under the slogan ‘Clean athletes, clean clothes’, 42|54 – the time with which the relay team won the gold medal at the Beijing Olympics – is launching a sustainable collection that balances between sports and fashion wear. The clothing line responds to the ‘athleisure’ trend, where sports outfits are also worn everyday away from the track or field. The 42|54 collection saw the light of day in 2016 and was immediately well received. The collection is available for sale online via its own website and through international high-end fashion retailers that also capitalise on the ‘athleisure’ trend by adding sports collections to their ranges.

There is particular interest in the collection in the Asian and US markets where people are keeping an eye out for new, European brands. Several emerging talents on the athletics track have already been spotted in 42|54. With the cash injection, the brand is betting on marketing and sales initiatives to further grow in an emerging market.

Although the fashion sector is a hugely competitive market, according to PMV, all the elements are in place to make the brand an international success: a good product, a powerful brand story, a great track record, but above all an ambitious team that knows each other well and knows what it is to be at the top. The athletes certainly see many similarities between entrepreneurship and top-class sports: dealing with winning and losing, persevering and working really hard.