Digital Brands Group has announced the launch of a strategic initiative to aggressively expand the company’s presence in the name, image and likeness (NIL) college apparel market, a segment that had an estimated value of $36.4 billion in 2024 and is projected to increase to $49.0 billion by 2030, according to Grand View Research.
According to DBGI, the “launchpad” for expansion into the NIL-college apparel space will be a newly signed exclusive three-year private label manufacturing agreement with Yea Alabama, the official NIL program of the University of Alabama. Under the agreement, DBGI will exclusively design, manufacture and distribute collegiate apparel under private label through University of Alabama bookstores and Yea Alabama’s online store.
Per the company, the initial product line, as well as the September product capsule, is available now at both bookstores and the Yea Alabama web site. The company is also planning to release a number of new collections in November and December.
Direct-to-consumer (DTC), data-driven model
“We believe that we have created the Warby Parker of collegiate apparel, with a focus on a direct-to-consumer (DTC), data-driven scalable model,” said Hil Davis, CEO of Digital Brands Group.
Following up on this first step the DBGI says it is in discussions to expand the strategy with additional universities using the Alabama agreement as a model. Per this agreement each partnership will provide:
- A private label manufacturing advantage, whereby DBGI designs, produces and delivers high quality collegiate apparel directly through university-affiliated channels at a lower price than traditional offerings.
- Equity alignment, whereby each university rights holder becomes a partner with DBGI, creating a unique alignment of interests.
- Support for female student athletes, whereby DBGI commits to generate future NIL market driven opportunities for female student athletes, making it one of the first NIL initiatives directed specifically to female student-athletes.
- Agility and consumer data, leveraging what DBGI describes as a “nimble supply chain and direct customer data,” allowing it to deliver faster, more trend-responsive collections to customers.
For more on Digital Brands Group and it current NIL strategy, click here.
