January 18th, 2016
To commemorate Super Bowl 50, the NFL and members of the Council of Fashion Designers of America (CFDA) have teamed up to create 50 lavish footballs that share a "gold" theme.
Rag & Bone; Tiffany & Co.
The NFL required the designers to use a "gold" element to align with the precious metal's traditional connection with 50th anniversaries. But, how they used the gold was totally up to them. While some placed gold as the central motif, others used it as a glittering accent. Our favorites were the designers who took it up a notch by mixing precious metals and gemstones to make their footballs into treasures suitable for a jeweler's showcase.
Ovadia & Sons, Marchesa.
Among the designers whose footballs evoked fine jewelry are Rag & Bone, Tiffany & Co., Ovadia & Sons, Marchesa, Prabal Gurung, Rachel Zoe, Kendra Scott, Melissa Joy Manning, Jennifer Fisher and Vita Fede.
Prabal Gurung; Rachel Zoe.
The balls will be officially unveiled at the NFL's offices in New York this Wednesday and will be making appearances at a number of promotional events in the San Francisco area leading up to Super Bowl 50 on February 7.
Kendra Scott; Melissa Joy Manning.
The balls are slated to be auctioned off on the NFL.com web site to benefit the NFL Foundation, the league's nonprofit organization that supports the health, safety and wellness of athletes. The organization finances sports-related medical research, funds the efforts of current and former players working in local communities and assists former NFL players who have come upon hard times. The auction will be held online from January 20 through February 14.
Jennifer Fisher; Vita Fede.
This is not the first time the NFL has collaborated with the CFDA. In 2014, in preparation for Super Bowl 48, an equal number of designers were challenged to create bespoke helmets that dazzled window shoppers of Bloomingdale's 59th Street flagship store in New York City and eventually were auctioned to support the NFL Foundation.
“When we did the helmets in Bloomingdale’s, it was really successful,” Rhiannon Madden, vice president of consumer products for the NFL, told WWD. “So we wanted to partner with them again to bring the worlds of football and fashion together.”
Images courtesy of CFDA.
Rag & Bone; Tiffany & Co.
The NFL required the designers to use a "gold" element to align with the precious metal's traditional connection with 50th anniversaries. But, how they used the gold was totally up to them. While some placed gold as the central motif, others used it as a glittering accent. Our favorites were the designers who took it up a notch by mixing precious metals and gemstones to make their footballs into treasures suitable for a jeweler's showcase.
Ovadia & Sons, Marchesa.
Among the designers whose footballs evoked fine jewelry are Rag & Bone, Tiffany & Co., Ovadia & Sons, Marchesa, Prabal Gurung, Rachel Zoe, Kendra Scott, Melissa Joy Manning, Jennifer Fisher and Vita Fede.
Prabal Gurung; Rachel Zoe.
The balls will be officially unveiled at the NFL's offices in New York this Wednesday and will be making appearances at a number of promotional events in the San Francisco area leading up to Super Bowl 50 on February 7.
Kendra Scott; Melissa Joy Manning.
The balls are slated to be auctioned off on the NFL.com web site to benefit the NFL Foundation, the league's nonprofit organization that supports the health, safety and wellness of athletes. The organization finances sports-related medical research, funds the efforts of current and former players working in local communities and assists former NFL players who have come upon hard times. The auction will be held online from January 20 through February 14.
Jennifer Fisher; Vita Fede.
This is not the first time the NFL has collaborated with the CFDA. In 2014, in preparation for Super Bowl 48, an equal number of designers were challenged to create bespoke helmets that dazzled window shoppers of Bloomingdale's 59th Street flagship store in New York City and eventually were auctioned to support the NFL Foundation.
“When we did the helmets in Bloomingdale’s, it was really successful,” Rhiannon Madden, vice president of consumer products for the NFL, told WWD. “So we wanted to partner with them again to bring the worlds of football and fashion together.”
Images courtesy of CFDA.
