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IN JUNE 2024, Kyle Smith’s assistance was required. Joe Burrow was preparing to attend Paris Fashion Week and needed the stylist to help put his look together.
The Cincinnati Bengals’ star quarterback had always been interested in fashion, but didn’t have a firm grasp of the industry. Smith was working at the time as the NFL content strategist and had previously styled on-air talent for the NFL Network, so he was perfect for the job.
“I said, ‘Fashion Week is no joke.’ If the Super Bowl is serious to you, imagine how Fashion Week is to me,'” said Smith, who recalled his conversation with Burrow to ESPN.
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“I was like, ‘Do you need a stylist?’ And he said, ‘Yes.’ That’s when we first started working together.”
During that trip to Paris, Burrow graced the runway at the Vogue World 2024 fashion show, along with his former LSU teammate and Minnesota Vikings wide receiver Justin Jefferson.
From that point on, Smith has worked closely with Burrow, curating outfits for him to wear on game day.
“It was really cool to see how his personal brand can grow by doing things like high-visibility events like Fashion Week,” Smith said.
Kyle Smith, left, worked closely with Joe Burrow, center, and Justin Jefferson at Paris Fashion Week in 2024. Courtesy of Kyle Smith
But Smith’s life is more than being Burrow’s stylist. He is also the NFL’s fashion editor, a unique role that seems ever-changing, but the goal remains the same.
Smith helps the league expand its audience by telling players’ stories through the lens of fashion. Whether it’s creating original content with players and how they put together their outfits for a game, or sharing insight on a particular piece of clothing that a player is wearing.
Across the NFL, the pregame walk to the locker room has mirrored fashion show runways. With the help of Smith, those few minutes have allowed players to rock out in stylish outfits tailored to express their creativity.
“If there’s an amazing story about a player’s outfit, I want to make sure that our audiences know about that,” Smith said. “I want to make sure our players feel like they have a voice through fashion.”
“[Fashion is] another way of showing who you are,” Ashton Jeanty said. “Even on the field, you want to have your own swag.” Photo by Brooke Sutton/Getty Images
DEION SANDERS SAID it best: “If you look good, you feel good. If you feel good, you play good.”
The Pro Football Hall of Fame defensive back and current Colorado coach’s message continues to resonate, which is why players’ pregame fits need to be on point.
Whether a player arrives in a suit, street clothes or sweatpants and a hoodie, it’s essential for them to walk into a stadium feeling good about themselves. To do that, some players use stylists, while others pick out their own fits.
“The main thing is being comfortable within yourself and being able to have the confidence to rock whatever you want to rock,” Raiders veteran linebacker Jamal Adams said.
For Las Vegas Raiders rookie running back Ashton Jeanty, fashion has been a way to express himself.
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Jeanty said he has always been interested in fashion, especially collecting sneakers, even before he was selected No. 6 in last year’s draft. He described his style as flashy and wanting to look different. Jeanty said he gets a thrill out of buying different pieces and putting his outfit together himself.
“It’s another way of showing who you are,” Jeanty said. “Even on the field, you want to have your own swag.”
Denver Broncos cornerback Pat Surtain II loves the innovative part of fashion. By mixing and matching various clothes, Surtain can explore his creativity.
In the past, Surtain has attended fashion shows during Paris Fashion Week to enhance his knowledge of the industry.
“I feel like fashion could take you to different places around the world, and it’s big culturally,” Surtain said.
Kyle Smith was hired as the NFL’s first fashion editor in 2024. In his role, Smith helps the league expand its audience by telling players’ stories through the lens of fashion. Joshua Kissi for ESPN
IT WASN’T UNTIL middle school, when Smith bought his first issue of Teen Vogue magazine, that he realized his calling was fashion.
However, Smith, who was born in Connecticut but raised in Los Angeles, never anticipated his fashion journey would lead him to sports. He didn’t watch sports or have an interest in doing so.
“It’s so crazy. I was picked last in P.E. every time,” Smith said. “But I’m living my fashion dreams, and I hope I’m helping our athletes live out theirs.”
Smith had various public relations and communications internships, but his introduction to the NFL came in 2019, when he spent 10 months as a wardrobe assistant for NFL Media. He styled and managed the wardrobe for over 30 hosts, covering each of the league’s television shows and video podcasts.
In 2021, he became a fashion content strategist, assisting in social media, player engagement and cultural and influencer marketing strategy. He ensured that the NFL’s social channels discussed what players were wearing and whether they were attending premier fashion events such as the Met Gala or New York Fashion Week. Smith recalled a time in 2023 when he helped create content for Philadelphia Eagles running back Saquon Barkley, who walked the runway of the Hermes show during New York Fashion Week.
Smith became the league’s first fashion editor in September 2024 and is based out of L.A.
“I feel like I invented the job, and we’re figuring out what it is every day,” Smith said. “… With the league, maybe it’s not me traveling to Cincinnati [to style Burrow]. It might be having a photoshoot to promote a collaboration that we’re working on. It might be to build out a strategy to work with a player who’s really interested in fashion but doesn’t know where to start.”
Since working with the league, Smith has developed a deeper understanding of the importance of fashion to players. He has also had the opportunity to style a growing number of players aside from Burrow; Smith has worked directly with Jefferson and Cleveland Browns safety Grant Delpit.
And last offseason, Smith went to LVMH (Louis Vuitton Moët Hennessy) headquarters in New York City with 20 players, including Indianapolis cornerback Kenny Moore II and New York Jets quarterback Tyrod Taylor, to enhance their understanding of luxury fashion.
Smith said that the intersection between fashion and sports has worked well because of the authenticity that athletes bring to it.
“In a world of paid influencers, I learned our athletes do whatever it is they want to do,” Smith said. “If they’re wearing something, it means they really love it. I think our fans can feel that authenticity, and it makes such a compelling story to be interested in that piece of clothing or that player because you’re seeing their style, and you know that it’s so true to them.”
Kyle Smith never saw himself working in sports. But when the opportunity presented itself, he took it and has continued to work with the league’s biggest stars. Joshua Kissi for ESPN
BEHIND SOME GAME-DAY outfits is a stylist who spends hours making sure their clients look their best. Once or twice a month, Smith will visit Burrow’s home in Cincinnati with a trunk full of clothes he has collected from various places.
The trunk might include pieces from luxury stores on Rodeo Drive or a $10 T-shirt from a shopping mall. But no matter what’s in the trunk, the pieces reflect what makes sense for Burrow.
For Smith to understand what works for Burrow or any other athlete, he has to get to know his client beyond fashion. He asks about other interests, such as favorite movies, books and music.
Smith said he is at a point where he has a good understanding of which brands work for Burrow.
“Fashion is so personal,” Smith said. “… I never want to force somebody to wear something they don’t want to wear [and] makes them feel uncomfortable, and that’s why I always say the biggest part of my role is education.
“I can present a cool Japanese shoe, but if they don’t get it, they’re not going to feel confident and feel their best in that shoe. But after explaining why it’s cool, and the history of it, and the story that brought us to this really cool shoe, then they get it, and then they want to wear it, or if they don’t, we move on, and we figure out what makes sense for that individual athlete.”
Kyle Smith has styled Joe Burrow since 2024. Perry Knotts/Getty Images
Burrow, a three-time Pro Bowl quarterback, will try on a bunch of different clothes so that Smith can create outfits. Smith will then organize the outfits on a rack for Burrow to wear over the next couple of weeks.
“Some athletes, I feel, have an eye for fashion and can understand the photo [of the clothes] that I send,” he added. “Some players, I won’t even show them a hint. I’m like, ‘Just trust me. Everything else I’ve done has been amazing. So, just trust the process. I’m going to bring you something cool.'”
Other players, such as Las Vegas Raiders rookie wide receiver Dont’e Thornton Jr., don’t have a stylist to put outfits together for them, but instead, they have someone buy for them.
“There are people who sell stuff,” Thornton said. “They might get a hotel in Vegas and have a pop-up [shop] with different variations [of clothes]. I have people who shop for me, and from there, I put different things together.”
Kyle Smith has also worked directly with the Browns’ Grant Delpit. Brooke Sutton/Getty Images
THE RISE OF NFL players expressing themselves through their fashion has also brought in new people who might not have had an interest in football.
“We’re building a whole new audience,” Smith said. “… I hear so many comments [from people] about how they love to watch the pregame, [and] watching the tunnel fits. It used to be only on [social media], but now there’s tunnel fits on broadcast, and you get to see what players are wearing.”
But it’s more than just players turning pregame into a mini-runway. The players’ continued presence at fashion events has helped shed a new light on the league.
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Burrow, Barkley, Jefferson, Eagles quarterback Jalen Hurts and New England Patriots wide receiver Stefon Diggs all attended the 2025 Met Gala. Last month, Cleveland quarterback Shedeur Sanders was front row at the Amiri Fashion Show in Paris. Ahead of Super Bowl LIX, the GQ Bowl brought fashion week to New Orleans. Bengals wide receiver Ja’Marr Chase and Dallas Cowboys wide receiver CeeDee Lamb made their runway debuts during the event.
And before Super Bowl LX, the NFL and Abercrombie & Fitch will host a “star-studded,” invite-only fashion show in San Francisco.
“NFL players have become style icons,” NFL senior vice president of social and influencer marketing Ian Trombetta said. “Fashion continues to authentically connect our players and our fans within a global cultural conversation.”
